NHIA: AN EPITOME OF MILKING AN AILING COW TO DEATH.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Martin Luther King Jr. It is rather disheartening to witness some persons entrusted with leadership due to certain principles they upheld have soon thrown those to the dogs and do as it pleases them.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National

Health Insurance Authority - Dr. Samuel Annor has recently been gallivanting from one media house to another complaining about the indebtedness, lack of funds and the need to increase funding for the NHIS. He is reported to have said in one of his numerous complaints and downbeats that, The National Health Insurance Scheme might be  dead in a year's time if the NHIS levy was not raised from 2.5 to 3.5 and a one percentage of workers salary (including a poor teacher like me) be deducted to augment the scheme's funds. This statement by the NHIA boss is alarming and calls for concern. Many a Ghanaian has lost confidence and hope in the scheme and has resorted to personal and private health insurance plans. 

In fact, according to Dr. Annor, “Unauthorised payments will continue, people being turned away or being asked to go and buy drugs or some health things that they will need for care would also continue… all these things will continue unless we solve the financing situation.” But, recent happenings by the authority have indicate that, the authority is its own enemy. In the abundance of the meagre funds of the National Health Insurance Authority, it is plate of  countless instances of corruption, mismanagement, misappropriation and wanton dissipation of funds and many more other bad financial practices.

Reports indicate that the National Health Insurance Scheme has GHc1.2 billion to take care of 11 million subscribers. This means a subscriber is entitled to a healthcare of Ghc 109.00 per year. Dr. Annor Chief Executive Officer of the authority agrees that, this figure is woefully inadequate and "we are way short of what is expected and that is why the scheme is wobbling.” He therefore entreats Ghanaians to, “Let us try and pay the appropriate fee for our healthcare and the appropriate fee according to suggestions by the World Health Organisation is about $86 dollars or about GHc 380 or GHc 400 per year for each member of the scheme and we should strive towards that." In all this, how on earth does a man who is bemoaning, still preside over a scheme that is cash strapped and go on a profligate spending spree and yet call for an increase in levy. 

At the time when we are told about the likelihood possibility of the collapse of the National Health Insurance Scheme, a document emerged in the social media purporting to be a formal letter of request for sponsorship by Hon. Sarah Adwoa Sarfo. In the said letter, Hon. Adwoa Sarfo stated that, she wished to attend an Executive Programme on Women and

Hon. Adwoa Sarfo's Request Letter

Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School as the the chairperson of the Women Caucus in Parliament. The cost of tuition alone was to be amounted eight thousand, five hundred U.S dollars ($ 8,500.00) with unknown costs of air ticket and accommodation. A simple arithmetics reveals that the tuition fee alone could cater for 359 subscribers for year per the Ghc 109.00 healthcare entitlement for subscribers. This is incongruous and mind bugling. I am not in anyway, against the idea behind capacity building. But, Hon. Adwoa Sarfo is not known to be associated in any way with the authority, and neither was the leadership training for which she sought sponsorship would inure to the benefit of the authority, nor would it bring back the whizzed trust of the scheme Dr. Annor complained of.  Ho. Adwoa Sarfo's action beats every right thinking mind that a person who is claimed to becoming from a privileged background and a political party that has taunted its credentials in austerity would want to squander the meagre funds of an important but ailing institution such as the National Health Insurance Authority. Why! Hon. Sarah Adwoa Sarfo is a Member of Parliament, Deputy Majority Leader and a Minister of State in charge of Procurement. These portfolios put her in a fine position to better solicit sponsorship from varied sources for her women leadership training Programme. Even the Parliament of Ghana should have been the first point of call for the sponsorship since she is the chairperson of the women's caucus in parliament and it being the ultimate and foremost beneficiary. Hon. Adwoa Sarfo in fact had a pool of options at her disposal for the sponsorship of her capacity building training. She could have as a matter of fact, written to NGOs and corporate entities. So why did she request this sponsorship favour from none other institution but NHIA? The simple most likely answer is, because it is an easy and a cheap outlet for dissipation and siphoning the tax payers' money.

Receipt Paid By Parliament 

Though she denied the allegations that she was sponsored by the authority by saying that she later withdrew her request. She further produced a receipt for the Programme paid by the parliament of Ghana. But, she obviously failed to help the public appreciate why she initially wanted the National Health Insurance Authority to sponsor her.

Another document that surfaced and made rounds in the social media was a minuted memo detailing budget to train government communicators on the work of the authority. Hmmm! I am utterly stupefied and cannot find words to describe this profoundly absolute absurdity. How do we juxtapose the work of the authority and its officers with the functions of government communicators.

Approved Budget for Gv't Communicators Training 

Is this one of the authority's core mandate to train government communicators with their inadequate funds or it is an oversight responsibility for government communicators to educate the public on be half of the authority's PR department? If yes, then what purpose will the Ministry of Information be serving. It is not for government communicators to educate the public on the work of the authority. If for nothing at all, the authority has a communications bureau or PR department. So, why the misappropriation? In fact, the sad thing about this so-called  training government communications team is that, figures were conspicuously manipulated to obviously inflate budget for that Programme. Expenditure on "1 coffee break and lunch" per head was Ghc 125.00 multiply by 70 (government communicators) would be equal to Ghc 8,750.00. This figure was inflated to Ghc 10,370.00. This amount for only "coffee break and lunch" could have paid for the healthcare of 95 subscribers for a year. Yet, this budget was minuted, approved and squandered just in one day.

My senior brother, (name withheld) who is well-versed on NHIS issues, when I expressed my frustrations and misgivings about these obnoxious activities at NHIA, stated that, "We may raise issues of incoherent public policy orientation and moral ethos in our country relative to this matter, but it is not a matter that can materially vitiate the operations of the

scheme." He further suggested to me that, the act that sets up the NHIS, ACT 852 (2012) stipulates that 10% of the annual budget of the authority should be expended on NON-CORE activities. He directed me to read subsection 4 under section 40 i.e., 40(4). After reading it, I found too much nebulosity embedded in it. Morally and 'rationally', aside the current financial crisis of the authority, the sources of money for the fund i.e., section 41 subsections 1(b), (e) and (g) defy any reasons for expenditures on NON-CORE activities. 

I think, the ACT establishing the National Health Insurance Scheme be repealed in order to expunge the section on 10% non-

core activities expenditure. Or else, the scheme will continue to take a steep stick decline in funds. Again, when this ACT is repealed officials of the authority cannot use it to perpetuate corrupt practices.

Thnx!

Naa Gbewaah Sidiq's Folder!