Health Insurance workers cry foul over political witchhunt in NHIS

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Health Insurance Workers Union, Kwabena Bobbie Ansah has cautioned that the National Health Insurance Scheme will collapse if officials continue to intimidate workers.

According to him, partisan politics coupled with intimidation and threats have become deeply rooted in the National Health Insurance Authority making it difficult for personnel to effectively carry out their duties.

Mr. Ansah was speaking on Dwaso Nsem on Adom FM Monday about alleged divisions among staff of the Health Insurance Scheme.

He alleged that officials of the Authority have threatened to sack all those who do not belong to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government accusing the CEO, Sylvester Mensah of leading that campaign.

Citing examples, Bobbie Ansah disclosed that the Scheme Manager for Bantama in the Ashanti Region was sacked when he stood as a parliamentary candidate in NPP primaries in April this year while the Scheme Manager for Gushegu in the Northern Region was also given his marching orders for declaring his support for the NPP.

He said the Northern Regional Manager is the treasurer of the NDC, while Scheme Managers at Gambaga, Asokwa, Bole and Wenchi are all constituency members of the NDC but they are all still at post and have not even been queried.

Mr. Bobbie Ansah said the current situation has made it very difficult for the staff at the various offices to discharge their duties because of intimidation and suggested that the authorities should sit down with staff of the NHIS to resolve the issue otherwise the Scheme might collapse.

He disclosed that the National Health Insurance Act does not state that authorities can transfer and sack scheme managers or even ordinary staff for engaging in active politics.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, Mr. Sylvester Mensah has refused to react to the issue.



Story to Samuel Mantey/Adomonline.com/Ghana