GHS163m of NHIS fund blown on trainee nurses’ allowance – report

A parliamentary report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for the disbursement of National Health Insurance Funds for 2019 has revealed that part of the fund was used in paying the allowances of trainee nurses.

According to the document, an amount of GHS358.85 million was released to the Ministry of Health to help fund the National Health Insurance Scheme but a total of GHS163.66 million of that money was used to pay nurse trainee allowances.

“The committee was displeased about the payment and requested the NHIA never to use NHIF for such purposes,” the report stated.

Speaking about the report on Accra-based Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen political talk show on Friday, Mr Alex Asafo Agyei, the main opposition National Democratic Congress’ Ashanti Regional Deputy Communication Officer bemoaned the use of the fund for the unintended, describing it as worrying and called on the government to desist from such acts.

The National Health Insurance Scheme is a form of national health insurance established by the government of Ghana, with a goal to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to Ghanaian citizens.

The NHIS is largely funded by:

– The National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), which is 2.5 per cent levy on goods and services collected under the Value Added Tax (VAT).

– 2.5 percentage points of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions per month

– Returns on National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) investments

– Premium paid by informal sector subscribers.

– Allocations by the government to complement the funding of the scheme.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com