Coronavirus: Reimburse Health Service Providers to guarantee Ghana’s preparedness – Dr. Sandaare to Govt.

A Member of the Health Committee of Parliament and the MP for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa constituency, Dr. Sebastian Sandaare Ngmenenso has asked the Akufo-Addo government to reimburse the Health Insurance Service Providers to enhance the country’s readiness against the deadly coronavirus which has been confirmed in nearby Nigeria.

The world just woke up to the news that Nigeria, the country’s West African neighbor where the people of the two countries are engaged in close business and social interactions, have confirmed their first case of the COVID 19 strain which until now seemed to be far away.

Available statistics indicates that over 85,000 cases have been confirmed across some 53 affected countries with the death toll rising close to 3’000 cases. China, where the first case was confirmed continues to be the worst affected country with most deaths.

The concern of Dr. Sandaare is that, the continued starvation of the monies owed these health service providers would deprive them of the needed funds required to get their facilities in shape and to procure the essential logistics needed to adequately prepare in case of confirmed cases in the country and an eventual outbreak.

“Ladies and gentlemen, some weeks back all of you were asking ‘how ready are we to fight the coronavirus infection?’ It is with us in Nigeria and what it means is that it is at our door step. If the government is not reimbursing health facilities, what it means is that our preparedness plan is in doubt… Government must pay these health facilities to enable them buy the necessary logistics and be ready to handle any emergencies that may come,” he said.

The MP for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa made his concerns known during a press conference by the Minority Caucus on the Health Committee of Parliament about some developments in the administration of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which they believe is leading to the collapse of the insurance scheme.

He stressed that the healthcare system in Ghana was in crisis while he emphasized that the (cash and carry) was back.

“Just briefly to emphasize that our healthcare system is currently in crisis and there is no point stressing that (cash and carry) is back. Ladies and gentlemen, you can go to the health facilities to confirm that there are no medicines; there are no logistics like gorse, gloves. Patients are being asked to buy these items,” he observed.

He berated the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, for allowing the health sector to be in such disarray under his watch where hospitals are deprived of the needed funds for their day to day activities to the extent that these hospitals are being disconnected from the national grid because of their inability to settle their bills including a hospital in his own constituency.

“Even Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital where the Minister for Health comes from, his own constituency; that particular hospital was disconnected. What kind of Health Minister and advisor to the President on health matters, and your own hospital was disconnected?

“For me that is criminal. Anybody who disconnects a health facility has the intention to kill. Because once you disconnect, vaccines will not work; some patients will be at the theatre that is likely to die and that the government has to take serious and take steps to avoid… We can’t sit and wait for our health facilities to be disconnected because they are not paid their National Health Insurance,” he lamented.

Source: Clement Akoloh || africanewsradio.com