Kweku Agyeman Manu, the Minister of Health has disclosed that some health facilities are extorting money from poor patients.
According to him, some patient who are subscribed to the health insurance scheme are sometimes not treated with much respect at some hospitals.
Addressing some senior managers of the Ghana Health Service on April 18, 2023 monitored by 1Family Radio, the minister who doubles as the lawmaker for the Dormaa Central Constituency in the Bono Region revealed that whenever he visits the hospital, he pays for the service rendered in cash although he is on the health insurance scheme.
“I pay money whenever I go to Ridge Hospital. I pay when I go the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC). In fact, I don’t present my insurance card,’’ the minister stated.
He continued that he is not happy about some health personnel under the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). According to him, some service providers overcharge patients who are on the scheme although the service has already been paid for.
“We have received complains about how patients who are subscribed to the insurance scheme are treated in most of the health facilities. The best way to describe this act is extorting from the poor patients,’’ he said.
He continued, “From the end-user point of view, it looks like the health insurance scheme is no longer working. I am also a patient and I know what I am saying.
Source: 1Familyradio
