The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over what it describes as a gradual return to the cash-and-carry system in Ghana’s healthcare delivery, blaming it on the recent inactivity of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
According to the caucus, the NHIS has been largely non-functional for nearly two months, compelling patients to pay out of pocket for medical services that should be covered under the scheme.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, the Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, said the situation is worsening the financial burden on citizens and limiting access to essential healthcare.
“As we speak today, the NHIS for close to about two months has not been working. People have to pay before they are provided services. As we speak, the links are also not working; they have been deactivated. So, we have now reverted to the cash-and-carry system,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has confirmed a temporary technical disruption affecting some electronic hospital management systems across the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday, October 26, the NHIA assured the public that it is working with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to restore full system functionality as soon as possible.
The Authority further directed all NHIS-accredited healthcare providers to continue serving patients without interruption, urging them to use the mobile phone–based platform to generate Claims Check Codes (CCC) to facilitate service delivery.
