Medical practitioners concerned about reimbursement of NHIS funds
The Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners (SPMDP) on Friday expressed concern about the reimbursement of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) funds to private health facilities.
Dr Kwasi Odoi-Agyarko, National President of SPMDP said the issue of reimbursement of NHIS funds for providers at private health facilities had in recent times become an issue of much concern due to delays by NHIS authorities in reimbursing providers.
“The situation had even resulted in some private health facilities being taken to court for their inability to pay their workers. Some are also folding up, Dr Odoi Agyarko told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.
He said some of its members were expressing intents of pull out of the NHIS because the situation was becoming unbearable for them.
He therefore urged the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to reimburse providers on time to enable them to continue partnering government to meet the health care needs of the people.
Dr Odoi-Agyarko together with other representatives of the society attended a Business Plan Training meeting organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to discuss how to assist private health care facilities and providers to design business plans that would enable them to attract financial support from other financial institutions to boost and expand their facilities.
Speaking to the GNA on the sideline of the meeting, Dr Odoi-Agyarko noted that during the Council meeting which “is the last of four quarterly gatherings of Executive members of the Society all over the country, members would also review programmes and events of the year and the general welfare of members.
Dr Anthony Seddoh, Country Operation Officer of IFC, said the project was a private sector initiative, meant to equip private providers to access grants, donations, soft loans and even logistics to improve upon their services, as critical partners in health care delivery in Ghana.
Ms Mavis McCarthy, IFC Consultant said an IFC study was done on health assessment needs of private medical providers that covered operations of private midwives Association, private Laboratory technicians, private pharmacists, as well as alternative medicine practitioners, and the findings revealed that most of them lacked proper business health plans that was attractive to local and international funding.
She said such financial facilities would enable providers to do renovations and expand their facilities to include laboratories, theatres and wards, among other things.
The representatives said, though they appreciated the efforts of IFC in assisting them to attract finances, they were more worried about the high interest rates charged by financial and banking institutions in the country.
Source: GNA