Health Minister Clears The Air Over Insurance Comments

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has clarified remarks he made about the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), stating that the media misinterpreted his concerns.

"I attended the Ghana Health Service's annual senior management meeting in Kumasi... "I was admonishing them, telling them that it is unethical to charge patients with health insurance for some treatments that are included in the health insurance benefit package and should be free, but this was happening in our facilities, so I urged them to stop," he explained.

He recalled informing the senior management meeting that Caesarean section and maternal health delivery were free; however, patients are required to pay between GH1,000 and GH3,000 for the free service.

"I then stated that when this occurs for the end user, the health insurance appears to be ineffective."

"I even stated that in the present day, even if we are not reimbursing, we are paying small amounts every month, so why should facilities charge patients?" he recalled.

The minister added that co-payments have been eliminated, so consumers no longer pay for their health care.

"Health insurance was created not for the middle class, but for the poor, so they could have access to health care, so if you start charging them when you shouldn't, you create a barrier that will prevent us from achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC)," he said.

"I stated that I have a health insurance card, but I don't use it when I visit facilities because I am able to pay," he added.

Therefore, Mr. Agyeman-Manu expressed astonishment at the propaganda portrayed in the media.

"I think I've done what any health minister would have done, so if you don't appreciate my work, don't destroy me," he said.

He stated, "The NHIS has reduced the backlog of payment arrears to just four or five months, so why would I come to the nation and say that the NHIS is not working?"

Ministry's Reaction

Earlier, the Ministry of Health issued a statement condemning extortion by certain healthcare providers, which is detrimental to the scheme.

The ministry also stated that Mr. Agyeman-Manu did not threaten to suspend Zipline's services due to its abuse by certain medical facilities.

"The Minister decried the practice of some healthcare facilities placing orders for Zipline services outside of peak demand periods. Due to the unpredictability of emerging technologies such as Zipline, it will be in the Ministry's and its agencies' best interests to periodically evaluate the guidelines governing its operations to ensure conformity with government policies," the document states.

"The Ministry remains committed to Zipline's operations in the provision of essential healthcare services and will continue to explore all viable options to ensure their viability. We urge the public to disregard these misleading and inaccurate headlines," the statement continued.

The Minister of Health also lamented the rising number of lawsuits filed against health professionals.

When he entered the ministry six years ago, he noted that such cases were uncommon; however, it is now almost routine for health professionals and their facilities to be sued for negligence.