President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to intensify surveillance of healthcare facilities and sanction providers who charge patients additional fees for services covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The directive follows complaints received by the President that some health facilities continue to demand payments from patients despite their presentation of valid NHIS cards.

President Mahama said the practice was unacceptable, stressing that subscribers should be able to access healthcare services covered by the scheme without being subjected to unauthorised charges.

Speaking at the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), he said the NHIA would strengthen its monitoring activities and visit health facilities to identify those engaging in the practice.

“I’ve just received complaints that despite the fact that people present their NHIS cards, still money is extracted from them before they receive service. The NHIA is putting a service and going from facility to facility, and any facility caught charging extra fees outside the insurance will be dealt with,” he said.

The President warned that healthcare providers found imposing additional charges outside the provisions of the insurance scheme would face the necessary sanctions.

He emphasised that the NHIS was established to improve access to healthcare and reduce the financial burden on patients, making it important for healthcare providers to respect the benefits available to subscribers.

President Mahama also highlighted the need to strengthen accountability within the scheme, calling for measures to tackle fraud, financial leakages and waste.

He assured that the government would continue to support the NHIA and healthcare providers in safeguarding the financial resources committed to the insurance programme.

According to him, ensuring that funds allocated to the NHIS are properly managed would help improve the scheme’s sustainability and enable it to meet its obligations to healthcare facilities.

He further noted that the improved financial predictability of the scheme should allow providers to plan their operations more effectively, procure essential medical supplies and maintain uninterrupted healthcare delivery.

The President said these improvements should eliminate the justification for facilities to impose unauthorised charges on patients for services already covered by the NHIS.

His remarks reinforce the government’s position that NHIS subscribers must receive the full benefits of their insurance without being compelled to make additional payments at healthcare facilities.