He said there is no denying the fact that government will be required to search for additional funding to make the scheme operational when the policy is finally implemented.
The former NDC parliamentary candidate for Asokwa in Kumasi pointed out that funds from the one-time premium payment alone cannot sustain operation of the NHIS.
Nana Butler stated on Kessben Fm : ‘my fear is that the scheme will suffer difficulties if it happens that government is unsuccessful in raising additional funds to complement those raised from the policy.’
He noted that even if government successfully raises funds all the time to cushion the policy, other sectors of the national economy will suffer unduly because money that could have been used those areas would be have to be channeled into the policy.
Against this background, Nana Butler wants government to abandon the one-time premium payment agenda and rather maintain the yearly premium payment to ensure the scheme works all year round.
He said what is important for government to do is to pursue workable programmes to curb inefficiencies in the system to ensure that people get value for their money.
The NDC top gun also took a swipe at the implementation of the capitation grant which is on pilot in 27 districts in the Ashanti region, describing it as a major disincentive to the spirit and tenets of the scheme.
Through the implementation of the capitation grant, health facilities hooked onto the scheme are given fixed amounts by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to operate from within a certain time frame.
When they are able to operate within the amount given and there is a surplus, they are obliged according to rules governing the policy, to keep them and when they are unable they are not given further funding even if they have more patients to take care of.
Another aspect of the policy is that beneficiaries are consigned to a particular health facility where they are supposed to seek health care and they cannot seek medical care else where.
Nana Butler said the new policy was a disincentive because it has created congestion at some health facilities.
Again, he stated that because the facilities are obliged to keep the remaining amount of money given to them to work with within a given period, most of them are not giving quality medical attention to beneficiaries.
Nana Butler said the danger is that most facilities are turning away beneficiaries under the pretext that money given to them for operations had run out.
He said he could not understand why the policy should be implemented on a pilot basis in the Ashanti region alone, wondering what impact the results in the region could have in the other regions when each region has different problems.
From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi
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