The Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Dr. Peter Yeboah, has called for urgent reforms in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), stressing that delays in reimbursements and the absence of an economic tariff structure are crippling healthcare delivery across mission facilities.
He appealed during the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health’s visit to the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman on Thursday, April 24.
“Prompt reimbursement of submitted claims and establishing a fair economic tariff structure is essential. Illegal payments are symptoms of larger system gaps,” he warned.
He reminded lawmakers that CHAG played a pioneering role in piloting the NHIS capitation scheme and remains a crucial partner in the national rollout of the program.
“CHAG was included in the 2015 review to make NHIS more efficient, accountable, and sustainable. It’s a shared mission,” Dr. Yeboah emphasized, citing reforms initiated under former President John Mahama.
Beyond financing issues, Dr. Yeboah called for greater inclusiveness, equity, and synergy in Ghana’s healthcare delivery.
According to him, health defies boundaries hence the need to move from silos to synergies, from identity-based services to collective, holistic service delivery, underscoring the importance of distributing resources equitably among public and mission hospitals.
He warned against rivalry and fragmentation in the sector, saying, “We are for collaboration, not competition. Cooperation, not conflict. Partnership beyond politics.”
According to Dr. Yeboah, strengthening partnerships between CHAG, government agencies, and private providers would ensure better healthcare outcomes and national cohesion in health service delivery.
The CHAG boss underscored the role of the Holy Family Hospital as a vital referral centre for the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Upper West, Upper East, and Northern Regions. “This is a referral centre for several constituencies. That shows that this hospital is a national asset providing a public good,” he stressed.
He noted that Holy Family Hospital sits at a strategic geographical crossroads, making it a crucial point for patients travelling between the middle and northern parts of Ghana. Dr. Yeboah suggested the hospital’s capacity and impact position it well to be developed into a teaching hospital in the future.
Recalling an anecdote, he shared that a former Health Minister once received treatment at Holy Family Hospital without fanfare and was so impressed by the care that he advocated for its elevation to teaching hospital status.
Dr. Yeboah expressed deep appreciation to the Parliamentary Select Committee members, describing them as ‘passionate and ardent supporters of CHAG.’
He assured them that CHAG’s flagship hospital, Holy Family, would continue working in partnership with the government to advance universal health coverage goals.
“Be assured that this hospital—CHAG’s number one in terms of output, impact, and innovation—will continue to partner with the government to achieve universal health coverage,” he affirmed.
The visit by the Committee forms part of a nationwide monitoring exercise aimed at assessing conditions in healthcare facilities and engaging directly with regional health administrators, staff and management of Government-sponsored hospitals.
The team led by Dr Sabestian Sandaare, MP for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa also included Professor Titus Beyuo, the MP for Lambussie and Emmanuel Kwaku Boam, the member for Pru East.
Two other teams toured the northern and southern belts respectively.
