Recalcitrant health facilities under the National Health Insurance Scheme must brace themselves up for stiffer punishment by the close of first quarter of this year.
The National Health Insurance Authority has up to the end the first quarter of this year to end every dialogue with such facilities which extort money or take illegal charges from clients in the name of co-payment.
The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority Alhji Mohammed Muniru Muntaka said this in an interview with the media at his office in Kumasi where he made it clear that there is nothing like co-payment in the status book of NHIS .
He said the nation does not recognize that in it’s health care delivery adding that the contract with health facilities is explicit where by under no condition must the insured suppose to pay out of pocket or what so ever.
According to Ahlaji Muniru such act demoralizes existing clients and the prospective once. “For now we can only dialogue with them and minimize the rancor but I can assure them that enforcement of the law will follow it they fail to comply with the laid down rules.
He said that the current government has created the enabling environment by uncapping the health insurance fund which has it made possible for regular and timely flow of reimbursement.
He said very soon government will roll out new tariffs for health facilities as he encouraged the people to continue to have confidence in the scheme and help fish out notorious health facilities that are bent on milking vulnerable and helpless patients and dealing with them appropriately.
Story by Lawrence Kumah
