Ashanti NPP To Demonstrate Against Capitation

The opposition New Patriotic Party has sent strong indications it will in the next few days starting from tomorrow roll out series of demonstrations against the capitation policy of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Fredrick Freduah Anto explains the capitation system indirectly denies residents of the Ashanti region access to health as of right.

F. F Anto believes pegging cost of health delivery at one cedi, seventy pesewa is highly unacceptable and will contribute to mortality rate.

The latest threat of demonstration adds up to series of challenges confronting piloting of the capitation policy of the health insurance scheme.

The Asante Development Union is currently against the capitation and has so far staged two separate street demonstrations to register their displeasure over the policy.

Also after a meeting of stakeholders in Kumasi some months ago, members of the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners in the Ashanti region decided to boycott the pilot phase of the Capitation exercise under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

They would rather want to continue serving their clients based on an existing contract with the health insurance authority.

Meanwhile Frederick Freduah Antoh discloses that what angered his party is the fact that leadership of the ruling NDC from Accra besieged Kumasi mounting solid defence for the capitation system.

F.F Antoh also is unhappy the piloting is taking place in a whole region and not a district.

Frederick Freduah Antoh shoots down reasons for the implementation of the capitation policy describing it as untenable.

Officials of the National Health Insurance Authority had sighted fraud as one of the purpose of introducing the capitation policy.

But F.F Antoh suggests the authority should find a way of blocking fraud in the system instead of introducing the capitation which he says is discriminatory.