Health service providers at the East Gonja District, are turning away patients with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards, because the scheme managers have not paid for services rendered since September, this year.
Mr. Kasim Abdulai, District NHIS Manager who disclosed this at Salaga said the arrears would be paid in January 2010.
He made this known when he appeared before the District Assembly, to brief members, on the operations of the scheme, during the third ordinary sitting of the assembly at Salaga.
As part of efforts to improve local level participation in governance, some heads of key institutions are summoned to brief the assemblies on their activities.
Mr. Abdulai said some 400,000 people in the district had registered with the scheme and more than 150,000 of them had received their National ID
cards that would enable them to have access to healthcare delivery in any part of the country.
Mr. Alhassan Mumuni, District Chief Executive expressed regret about the situation and pledged to dialogue with heads of health facilities in the
area to reconsider their decision and treat clients of the NHIS.
"It is unfortunate that these things are happening. After this meeting, I will dialogue with heads of health institutions to see how best the problem will be solved since money will surely come for them to be paid," he stressed.
The assembly also deliberated on a number of issues including fee fixing, extension of electricity to rural communities, finding means of providing the Salaga Cassava factory with raw materials for operations and approval of an amount of GH¢15.00 as per diem for Assembly members and purchase of motorbikes for them.