According to the NDC, the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia-led government has so far denied the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and by extension the NHIS of GH₵6 billion. A statement by the Minority in Parliament said the funds have been diverted to sponsor unapproved projects.
The NDC’s statement came as a reaction to the confirmation by the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, Dr. Dacosta Aboagye that the authority has not been paid since February 2024. He, however, added that the non-payment has not affected the financial status of the authority, an assertion the NDC finds ridiculous.
The statement signed by Juaboso MP, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said “Although the members of the Bawumia-led Economic Management team while in opposition made several promises to improve on the National Health Insurance Scheme, they have at every turn put impediments previously unknown to the scheme since they assumed the reins of power.”
According to the statement, Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act is what the government used to siphon funds meant for the NHIF. It added that the funds are used to sponsor projects unapproved by Parliament. One of such projects, the statement mentioned is the stalled National Cathedral Project which it said is the “most expensive hole in the world.”
“The first major blow to hit the NHIS was the sponsoring of the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act in 2017 by the Akufo-Addo Cabinet. This statute allowed them to operationalize their ulterior motive of diverting critical funds meant for the NHIS into the consolidated fund for projects and programs not approved by Parliament, like the National Cathedral Project, which has now become the most expensive hole in the world.”
With the NHIF running dry of funds, the NDC said the six billion Ghana Cedis would have been a lifesaver and helped the nation support critical cases such as cancer care, and dialysis which are not covered by NHIS.
“The operation of the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act has denied the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) payments of over GHS6.0billion. These payments could have gone a long way to improve on the health of the fund and help expand its services to critical treatments like dialysis and cancer care, which currently are not covered by the scheme.”
