Nov 20, 2012 at 6:56pm

Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has called on managers of the National Health Insurance Scheme to work hard to break the knot of institutional bureaucracy that affects its implementation.

President Rawlings said: “the procedure for processing poor patients who cannot afford to pre-finance the purchase of drugs and other in-patient needs is burdensome and leads sometimes to unfortunate fatalities.”

He said this at the 9th matriculation and the 4th graduation of the Narh-Bita College.

The former President praised the Health Insurance scheme as playing a positive role but lamented how officialdom and paperwork was affecting the true value of the scheme.

“The National Health Insurance, which had its beginnings during my administration, is playing quite a positive role but is still grappling with heavy bureaucracy”.

“I call on the managers of the NHIS to urgently look into instituting machinery that would ensure the smooth processing of patients who have no money at all when they enter hospitals. This is because the procedure for processing poor patients who cannot afford to pre-finance the purchase of drugs and other in-patient needs is burdensome and leads sometimes to unfortunate fatalities. I have had reports of patients accosting other patient to beg for money to procure drugs when the Health Insurance process should guarantee that basic right,” he stated.

President Rawlings who spoke as the Guest of Honour at the 9th Matriculation and 4th Graduation ceremony of the Narh-Bita College in Tema on Tuesday, also called on
nurses who administer the NHIS to put a human face to its challenges, to ease the pain patients have to endure.

“Your true worth as a nurse is how fast you can learn on the job and how professional and patient-friendly you can be when the demands and challenges of the job affect your day-to-day life. Nurses who help the Health Insurance scheme to process patients in hospitals should endeavour to put a very human face to the procedure,” he noted.

The founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also called on the graduates to be patient-friendly and professional when they soon enter various health institutions as nurses and health-care assistants.

“Patients have complained about some nurses who are cold, abusive and insensitive to their plight. It is important that you do not adopt such habits when you join the service. For those who are matriculating today your years of study at Narh-Bita should inculcate in you positive ideals that society will be proud of”.



By: Citifmonline.com/Ghana