News:
Hon Frank Annoh Dompreh
April 2, 2023
Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has said the current government under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo should be praised for reducing delay time of paying the National Health Insurance Scheme from twelve (12) months to five month (5).
According to him instead of the Ranking member on health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh criticizing government, government should rather be praised for adding some medical conditions which were previously not part of the health bill covered by the NHIS.
They have five months delay into the release of the fund this is at discretionary powers exercised by the minister of finance and not peculiar to this particular minister.
It was done by the former finance minister under the NDC and run through various governments; “our colleague should be fair to agree that regardless of the difficulty, you recall we have achieved some positives; childhood cancer has been added to the bill to be taken care of by NHIS, Sickle Cell and breast cancer which have not been part of it for a long time have been added; now they should be a bit considerate in their criticism”.
And further pointed out in reacting to the press conference held by the Ranking member on the Health Committee that they as Majority have taken it upon themselves that any time the formula is laid, leadership meets with them and there was a concern about ICT bill which a suggestion came from their side and the entire committee agreed to it that there should be some forensic audit for them to know what is happening as there may be a possibility of duplication of function.
“If someone reduced a delay from twelve months to five months our colleague cannot come and be using strong words like government is siphoning money; our colleague, the ranking should know better and this is the worst comment anybody can make. He tried this on the floor and the Speaker asked him to depart from that path; it’s no longer seven months delay in payment but five months”.
Again, there is regular price review of the medication; he is told more than a decade ago it’s done ones in a year, they have done these three times in their regime in a year what we should be talking about as a House is to reduce the discretionary powers of the finance minister, so that the funding which should be given to NHIA is given at the appropriate time and beyond that common fund has challenges in terms of release; we have made the necessary moves and the few months ahead of us there is going to be releases; the minority whip can bear me out this delays is not peculiar to this government, he stated.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com