Dr Bawumia made the comments after inaugurating a 17-member board to oversee the policy the direction of the health insurance provider.
Vice Presidnet Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has charged the newly constituted National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) board to work hard and "resuscitate" the scheme.
Dr Bawumia made the comments after inaugurating a 17-member board to oversee the policy the direction of the health insurance provider.
READ MORE: NHIA “almost bankrupt” – CEO says
The board is chaired by a former President of the Ghana Medical Association, Prof. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi.
He said: “There is so much we want to do within a limited budget.
"You will be responsible for leading the policy direction and advising government so that we can take the decisions that will fundamentally improve the NHIS.
"[NHIS] is struggling and we got to prevent this steady creepy towards cash and carry and resuscitate the scheme.
"You got to put together your minds [and] efforts so that we work in partnership to rescue this scheme, to resuscitate it, to improve it and make it benefit the masses of our people.”
Other members of the board include the Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr. Samuel Yaw Annor, a Deputy Minister of Health Kinglsey Aboagye-Gyedu, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, and the National Insurance Commissioner, Lydia Lariba Bawa.
The rest are Dr. Dennis Addo of the Social Welfare Department, Kwasi Ampedu-Kissi of SSNIT, Dr. Isaac Charles Noble Morrison of the Medical and Dental Commission and Rev Richard Kwasi Yeboah of Organised Labour. President Akufo Addo also appointed Dr. Sylvester Yaw Oppong and Joyce Zimpare to the Board.
Others include Anna Pearl Akiwumi-Siriboa, a legal practitioner, Dr. Nicholas Ankomah Tweneboa, a helath professional, Vahandi-Naa Dr. Mohammed Nantogmah Mahama, also a health professional and Kwasi Asante with a Finance background.
The vice president also told the new baord the NHIA is "bankrupt" because it owes partner hospitals some GHC1.2 billion.
READ MORE: NHIA owes Donkorkrom Presby Hospital 8 months arrears
Couple with that, Bawumia said, the membership of the scheme is increasing.
“The NHIA is at a stage where one will say it is almost bankrupt; in that we have no reserves and we owe people so much," he said.
"And this has come about because we have increased our membership so much but we have not increased the funding appropriately,” he addd.
Dr Bawumia made the comments after inaugurating a 17-member board to oversee the policy the direction of the health insurance provider. Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS