NPP gov’t left no NHIS debt before leaving office – Minority claps back at Health Minister
The Minority in Parliament has pushed back against claims by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, suggesting that the current NDC administration inherited a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) saddled with debt.
The Caucus argued that before the previous NPP government left office in January 2025, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) had a positive balance of about GH¢1 billion.
This follows the Hon Mintah Akandoh’s recent address to Parliament, in which he announced that the government had disbursed GH¢2.6 billion to the NHIS in 2025 alone to settle outstanding claims and arrears owed to health service providers.
He tied this payment to what he described as a “systemic build-up of debts” under the previous NPP administration.
During a parliamentary address on Monday, the Minister disclosed that the current administration had fully disbursed GH¢1.5 billion to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund [Mahama Care] in a bigger push to stabilise healthcare financing.
“Government has paid a total of GH¢2.6 billion to the National Health Insurance Scheme this year to clear claims and debts owed to service providers,” Mintah Akandoh said.
The Minister argued that although the NPP administration paid GH¢5.68 billion in claims between 2020 and 2023, debts continued to accumulate within the system.
The Minority, however, challenged the minister’s claims, countering that the current NHIA management inherited no debt from the past government.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, March 10, the Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, pointed to the NHIA’s 2025 budget formula document, arguing that internal records shows that the Authority carried a positive balance of GH¢1 billion when the NDC assumed office on January 7, 2025.
“As of January 7, 2025, the NHIA had a positive balance of GH¢1 billion. All payments up to October had been made, and the GH¢220 million disbursed over the following four months; for November, December, January, and February were drawn from this balance,” Dr. Afriye stated.
He further explained the ways through which claims are processed and paid, noting that it is standard practice for providers to submit claims weeks or even months after services are rendered, and clarified that payments made in January or February for November claims are not evidence of inherited debt, but rather of a routine payment cycle.
“Conventionally, if you submit your claims in November, it is paid in the third month. So, if you leave office in January, ideally you should have paid October and they settled all October claims,” he said.
Dr. Afriye acknowledged the GH¢2.4 billion NHIS debt accrued between 2021 and 2023 but argued that this debt was fully settled by the NPP government before leaving office.
“That GH¢2.4 billion was settled in three parts; GH¢800 million, GH¢800 million, and GH¢800 million, by the then Controller General. This is not anything done in secret,” he emphasized, adding that the NHIA’s financial documents confirmed that the current administration inherited no debt at the Authority.
“Let us put a stop to the over-politicisation of health insurance issues,” he urged. “The previous NPP regime left the NHIA with a positive balance, something that has not even happened before and the current administration used it to pay claims for November, December, January, and February,” he noted.
The Ranking Member explained that hospitals also contribute to payment timelines, noting that providers do not always submit their claims immediately at the end of a service month.
“Some submit very early, some maybe two or three weeks after, some two months later. So, you can’t even blame the NHIA for all the payment delays, and mind you, when you submit claims that are not so clear, money is deducted from you,” he added.
“We have come here to set the record straight,” he declared. “Come here and we will come here on any day to let Ghanaians know.”
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