The Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused government of illegally transferring over GHc17 million of National Health Insurance Scheme’s funds into a private fund management company, All Time Capital Investment.
Speaking at the party's 'Moment of Truth Series' in Accra on April 15, the National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, said the transaction was done without due diligence and risk assessment.
The Minority has over the past years expressed concerns over the use of the NHIS funds for what it calls unnecessary programmes.
This followed, the allocation of NHIS funds of about GHC 5 million for corporate social responsibility.
There have also been concerns by the Cape Coast Hospital over the non-payment of health insurance claims running into millions of Ghana cedis.
Mr. Gyamfi attributed the current financial woes of the scheme to the diversion of funds and other alleged fraudulent activities.
“Our painstaking investigations have revealed that upon President Akufo-Addo assuming office – The National Health Insurance Authority without any due diligence… transferred a whopping GHc 17, 548, 370.20 in three tranches into a private financial house called All Time Capital Limited supposedly as an investment.â€
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“Incontrovertible evidence available to us indicates that despite repeated efforts by the scheme to retrieve the invested funds and accrued interest have failed. The company informed the National Health Insurance Authority that it could affect some payment if only the investment funds were allowed to be run for an additional year. This situation is contributing to the worsening financial fortunes of the scheme.â€
“Government did not undertake any risk assessment. These are taxpayers monies which are supposed to finance the scheme and pay service providers so that our hospitals can be run for patients to access quality healthcare. But this is what they chose to use the monies for and the money is locked up there. What wrong have we done to President Akuffo-Addo and his government?†he quizzed.
NHIA spending funds on unnecessary programmes
The Minority in Parliament has accused the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, of spending funds on unnecessary programmes.
According to the Minority Spokesperson on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandor, the allocation of NHIS funds of about GHC 5 million for corporate social responsibility amounts to nothing but wasteful spending at a time the scheme is struggling.
The scheme has reportedly also allocated GHC 300 million for ICT infrastructure, GHC 10 million for restructuring among other allocations.
“A lot of things are going on at the NHIA that we need to come together and fight. Will you believe that almost every region, the NHIA owes them. Just yesterday, the Daily Graphic reported that the Cape Coast Hospital was in distress and almost every region was owing three months, four months and in some cases five months. And the amount of money the NHIA is investing in other non-core functions is amazing.