The Minority in Parliament has disputed claims by the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, that the government has paid GH¢2.6 billion in arrears owed to service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The assertion, according to the Caucus, was misleading and insisted that the current managers of the scheme actually inherited a positive financial balance of about GH¢1 billion, contrary to suggestions that the system was burdened with outstanding debts.
Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Ayew Afriyie, who addressed the media on the matter on Tuesday in Parliament, insisted that the Minority will speak out to set the record straight on the financial state of the health insurance scheme.
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“We are here to set the record straight. In the NHIS accounts, there was a positive balance of about one billion cedis when we left power, and the current management did not inherit any debt from the previous administration,” Dr Afriyie stated.
The legislator explained that although the scheme had accumulated debts between 2020 and 2023, those liabilities were cleared before the change in administration.
A total of GH¢2.4 billion, he said, owed during that period was settled in three separate tranches of GH¢800 million each.
“From 2020 to 2023 there was a debt of about GH¢2.4 billion, but that amount was paid in three parts – GH¢800 million, GH¢800 million, and GH¢800 million. This is not a secret,” he said.
Dr Afriyie stressed that because those debts had already been cleared, the current administration could not claim to have inherited unpaid obligations of that magnitude.
The Ranking Member also explained that delays in NHIS reimbursements often occur due to the standard claims submission process by healthcare providers.
Hospitals and service providers typically compile their accounts at the end of each month before submitting them for reimbursement, meaning payments are usually processed months later.
“Conventionally, if a hospital submits its claims in November, you expect payment around the third month. Some hospitals even submit late because they want to ensure their claims are accurate,” he noted.
He added that the variation in submission times makes it inaccurate to interpret all outstanding claims as inherited debt.
Dr Afriyie urged political actors to avoid turning the NHIS into a partisan issue, stressing that the scheme remains a critical pillar of Ghana’s healthcare system.
“Let’s put a stop to the politicisation of the National Health Insurance. The previous government left the NHIS with a positive balance of about GH¢1 billion, and that is what was used to pay claims for November, December, January and February,” he said.
He demanded greater transparency and cooperation in managing the scheme to ensure healthcare providers receive timely payments.