The District Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in North Dayi, Mr. Edem Sebastian, has denied reports suggesting that the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Joycelyn Tetteh Quashie, is sabotaging President John Dramani Mahama through a rebranded health initiative.
Mr. Sebastian described the reports as false and misleading, saying they were aimed at creating unnecessary tension between the MP and the president.
“Those claims are completely misleading and should be ignored,” he said. “The MP has been supporting our registration drive in the district and has not engaged in any activity that undermines government policy.”
Speaking to journalists, the NHIA District Manager said the allegations appeared to be an attempt to undermine the Authority’s mass registration exercise, which he noted had benefited from the MP’s financial support and collaboration.
He explained that Hon. Tetteh Quashie’s initiative — called “Free Health Insurance Renewal and Registration Exercise” — was her own community intervention to help residents renew or obtain NHIS cards. He stressed that the initiative was separate from President Mahama’s Free Primary Healthcare Programme, which the government is yet to roll out in North Dayi.
According to Mr. Sebastian, the NHIA office, which began operations in July, aims to register about 80 percent of the district’s estimated 41,000 residents. However, only a limited number of people, described as indigenes, qualify for free registration, while others must pay a fee — a challenge that has slowed enrolment.
“The MP’s support came at a time when many residents were unable or unwilling to pay for registration,” he said. “Her assistance has helped us meet part of our target.”
He added that this was not the first time the MP had financed NHIS registration in the area, recalling that she had previously worked with the Kpando NHIA office to register constituents at her own expense.
Mr. Sebastian expressed disappointment that the MP’s contribution had been “misrepresented” in a section of the media, particularly in a report by The Campaigner newspaper, which alleged that the MP was rebranding a government programme.
“The report didn’t quote any official source, and that makes it unreliable,” he said. “There is no directive from government for the NHIA to conduct free registration across the country, so it is inaccurate to say the MP has taken over a presidential initiative.”
He cautioned against drawing the NHIA into political controversies and hinted that the story may have been influenced by local political rivalries.
“We are a state institution. Our work should not be politicised,” he warned.
Mr. Sebastian concluded that apart from the MP, no other stakeholder had offered financial support to the NHIA’s registration efforts in the district.
Source: www.KumasiMail.Com/EdmondGyebi
