Abolish suspension penalty – government urged

Winneba (C/R), Jan. 24, GNA – The government is to ensure that the three months suspension penalty imposed on defaulting clients of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is abolished.Mr Elvis K. Payin, former Vice Chairman of the Effutu Municipal Area branch of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday said this would bring relief to premium holders of the scheme.Mr Payin said the suspension penalty introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) a couple of years ago, was doing more harm than good to premium holders of the policy, and must be reviewed as a matter of urgency to bring some respite to people who have embraced the policy.He said that most clients do not check the expiring dates of their NHIS Identify cards regularly, adding that besides that, millions of illiterate premium holders always fall victim to the default penalty because they do not get people to check their expiring dates of their ID cards for them at the appropriate time except when they report at the various accredited hospitals for medical attention.Mr Payin said since the National Health Insurance Policy was introduced principally to help the poor in society to secure affordable healthcare at a given time, government must always ensure that the system is not entangled with tougher regulations and conditions which would deprive the vulnerable in the society to enjoy the benefits which the policy provides.The former TEWU Chairman has therefore called on the government to impress upon the National Health Insurance Authority to review its stand in the three months suspension penalty punishment, inflicted on clients of the scheme in order to sustain the interest of Ghanaians in the policy.This way, Mr Payin added, “we will be maintaining the gains the policy has chalked so far, and develop it further, because the system is good, but we must find a more acceptable means of enforcing the ID card renewal aspect of it without necessarily subjecting the people to some sort of indirect punishments.He said besides the various branches of the NHIA intensifying their sensitization activities on the ID card renewal, various religious organisations and District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assembly members must also take it upon themselves to educate the people on the importance of the renewal of the NHIA cards.GNA Read Full Story