The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugre Atanga, has dismissed long-held claims that the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under former President John Agyekum Kufuor established the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), insisting the policy was piloted earlier under the Rawlings administration.
Speaking at an end-of-year dinner organized by the Upper East Regional branch of the Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana in Bolgatanga, the minister said the origins of the scheme date back to the era of former President Jerry John Rawlings and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
According to him, the scheme was first piloted in the Nkoranza District before later developments and expansions by subsequent governments.
“I want to assure you that this government has a very serious interest in the National Health Insurance. But it is important to correct the history,” Mr. Atanga said. “National Health Insurance was piloted under the Rawlings regime. It was not something that came out of the NPP as has been widely claimed.”
He explained that early efforts toward the scheme also involved non-governmental organizations that experimented with community-based health insurance initiatives before the policy evolved into a nationwide programme.
“Some people who do not believe in history try to say that social intervention like the National Health Insurance is a creation of the NPP. That is not true. NGOs were already piloting it, and it was started in Nkoranza during the PNDC era,” he said.
The minister emphasized that the NHIS should not be viewed as a policy belonging to any particular political party but rather as a national intervention aimed at improving healthcare access for the poor and vulnerable.
“It is not a brainchild of any political party. It is an intervention in the medical sector that helps the poor and vulnerable in society. Any government that is mindful of the welfare of its people will adopt such a policy,” he stated.
Mr. Akamugri also addressed concerns raised by private health providers about delays in payments of NHIS claims, acknowledging that the issue has affected healthcare delivery in many facilities. He assured members of the association that the government is working to address the backlog of claims and improve the situation.
“When we came into office, we inherited a lot of backlog. We are doing everything possible to clear them. I know it cannot be done in a single day, but we are committed,” he said.
The minister revealed that he recently held discussions with officials from the national NHIS office, who oversees claims processing, to explore ways of improving payments, particularly to facilities in northern Ghana. He noted that the government recognizes the challenges faced by health facilities in the northern sector, where access to healthcare infrastructure remains limited compared to other parts of the country.
“Particularly those of us from the northern sector, where we are disadvantaged as far as health facilities are concerned, some priorities will be given to us,” he added.
A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
