The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has debunked reports that the Ashanti Regional Manager of the scheme, Mr. Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, has been fired via a proceed on leave directive.
\nRumours have gained grounds that government has asked the controversial Ashanti Regional Manager of the NHIS to proceed on leave. His leave is alleged to be in relation to the many controversies and scandals surrounding him and his postion.
\nThe Deputy Director, Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Eric Ametor-Quarmyne, in an interview with Nana Yaw Kesse, sitting in for Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM\u2019s Kokrokoo morning show, says there is no truth in the rumour that Mr. Yamoah Ponko has been dismissed. According to him, he has proceeded on the normal working leave that every worker is entitled to.
\n\u201cIt is not true that Mr. Yamoah Ponko has been sacked or dismissed from his job but he has gone on leave. Since he started work in 2009 till now, he has not gone on leave and it is in the labour law that if you don\u2019t proceed on leave for two years, you forfeit it and you are not paid too, so most of the people in the NHIA who did not go on leave last year, are going on leave this year,\u201d he explained.
\nHe described as rather unfortunate the misconstruing of a normal working leave as dismissal by some sections of the public.
\n\u201cLeave is a statutory requirement for every worker; you go on leave for a period of 28 days or you can choose to divide it piecemeal. Mr. Ponko has not gone on leave for almost two years now. I\u2019m sure it is an accumulated leave but I don\u2019t think it is related to any allegations and suspicions,\u201d he noted.
\nHe added that the Regional Accountant will be acting in the absence of Mr. Yamoah Ponko as Head.
\n\u201cIn the absence of Mr. Ponko, the regional accountant is acting till he returns\u2026I have not seen the letter (asking him to take his accumulated leave) so I can\u2019t tell the duration of the leave, but since he has been in office for one and half years, I don\u2019t know if it has been extended beyond one year-leave days, which is 28 days,\u201d he noted.
\nCommenting on the \u2018one time NHIS premium\u2019, Mr. Ametor Quarmyne said the premium is a government programme and will definitely come on as soon as government is ready. He assured Ghanaians that the one-time premium in NHIS is not so compound as being espoused.
\n\u201cThe one time premium will definitely come on; it is a government of Ghana programme, not a health insurance authority programme. We are ready so whenever government launches the programme, we are ready to work with it,\u201d he said.
\nSource: Beatrice Adepa Frempong<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has debunked reports that the Ashanti Regional Manager of the scheme, Mr. Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, has been fired via a proceed on leave directive. Rumours have gained grounds that government has asked the controversial Ashanti Regional Manager of the NHIS to proceed on leave. His leave is alleged to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n