President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned health facilities against charging patients extra for services covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). He has instructed the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to inspect facilities and penalise those that break the rules.
The President said he had received reports that some healthcare providers were still asking patients for money, even after they showed their NHIS cards to receive covered services.
He said the NHIA would step up its checks to find facilities charging unauthorised fees. Any facility found doing so, he warned, would face sanctions.
Speaking at the Ghana Medical Association’s (GMA) 68th Annual General Meeting, President Mahama stressed that NHIS members must not be charged extra for services included in the scheme.
“I’ve just received complaints that despite the fact that people present their NHIS cards, still money is extracted from them before they receive service. The NHIA is putting a service and going from facility to facility, and any facility caught charging extra fees outside the insurance will be dealt with,” he said.
President Mahama also called for tougher steps to prevent fraud and waste in the NHIS. He said the government would support the NHIA and healthcare providers in protecting the funds set aside for the scheme.
He added that more predictable funding should help health facilities buy medical supplies and continue providing care without placing unauthorised charges on patients.