Former President John Dramani Mahama has asked health minister, Mr. Agyemang Manu to resign for failing to maintain the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Kwaku Agyemang Manu is said to have admitted that the Scheme is no longer effective and acknowledges that he no longer utilizes the service in favor of paying for his medical care out of pocket.
He complains vehemently that people who are unable to pay are being denied access to medical services, claiming that the treatment provided to NHIS card holders at the various clinics is subpar.
The previous president reacted to the Minister’s admission of failure by stating that Mr. Agyemang Manu needed to step down.
“He himself has admitted that he has failed. He has not been able to grow the NHIS and he says it has failed… he has no business being the minister for health. He should resign.”
In Sefwi Adobokrom, in the Bia East Constituency, Mr. Mahama addressed branch and constituency executives of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to thunderous acclaim.
More specifically, Mr. Mahama stated that the majority of healthcare providers are refusing to accept NHIS cards because the government is not honoring their claims.
“Health facilities have not been paid since last year for services provided to cardholders. How do you expect them to continue treating them?” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, the Health ministry has denied the comments by the former president, emphasising the program is effective and still offering services to subscribers.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
