A group calling itself the Asante Development Union is questioning the delay by the NHIS to replicate its capitation program across country since the Authority has described its implementation in the Ashanti region was successful.
The development advocacy group which had protested the implementation of the capitation in the Ashanti region contends that the pilot of the program in the region has not been successful following the boycott by some private healthcare providers hence continuous delay in taking it nationwide.
At a press conference in Kumasi on Wednesday, coordinator for the group, Oppong Peprah stated that ‘’Now there has been absolute silence from the NHIA as to what they intend to do with the capitation.”
According to him the National Health Insurance Authority told the people of the region understand that after the pilot, it planned to roll out the program throughout the country but nothing has been said so far.
He further added ‘’we wish to know whether they are going to roll the program throughout the country or they are going to halt the program.’’
He also stated that on 4th of September 2012, the President directed the Minister of Health to undertake several activities which included preparations towards the nationwide implementation of the capitation program.
‘’We otherwise want to know what has come out of the directive of the president. The people cannot wait; about 6 million people. People are dying every day therefore what is the way forward’’ he added.
There group and some residents criticized the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) capitation program in the Ashanti Region saying it was a ploy to reduce the quality of care for the people.
The NHIA went ahead with the program insisting it was a mean of cutting the cost of healthcare for subscribers in the region.
Source: GhanaWeb
