The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in the Bono East Region has revealed that no single pharmacy in the region has signed on to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
NHIA, in a deep concern, told Asaase News that, since the establishment of the Bono East NHIA outfit four years ago, pharmacists have persistently refused to do business with them.
The NHIA considers the Pharmacists Association and the pharmaceutical importers, wholesalers and retailers association as its key partners for the successful implementation of the scheme, as they are responsible for augmenting drug supplies to clients.
The public relations officer for the NHIA in the Bono East Region, Francis Opoku, bemoaned that, no single pharmacy in the region has agreed to sign on to the scheme, a situation he describes as a shortchange to the clients of the scheme.
“Unfortunately, in Bono East in particular, starting from Kintampo through Techiman to Prang, Yeji, Kwame-Danso there is no single pharmacy that deals with the National Health Insurance Scheme.”
Opoku also expressed dismay, as he believes the phenomenon denies patients of their entitled benefits from their subscription to the scheme.
“In effect, if a patient goes to the health facility, and they are unable to get medications from there they are forced to buy medications themselves. Meanwhile, if these pharmacies are to do business with us, all the patient need to do is to go to the health facilities, get a prescription and they go for the medications from the pharmacies so that we will pay.”
“But what we see is that, they make them buy instead of you providing them for free and come for your money. The patients can also save those little money for something else,” he said.
He, however, assured that the government no longer owe claims of the pharmacies, pleading with them to empathise with patients and sign on to the scheme.
“Back in those days, payment of claims was a bit difficult, we were owing the facilities so they think its still like that currently. But unfortunately, that’s not the case at all. Now every month, we pay them, we pay them all”. He assured.
Reporting by Dauda Zul-Kiful in Bono East
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