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THE PRESIDENT of Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Kwabena Opoku-Adusei has said the slow pace and irregular release of funds in payment of claims by the Ministry of Finance is stalling the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). Dr. Opoku-Adusei accused Mr. Seth Tepker and his Ministry of not releasing funds to the cashed-strapped NHIA to pay arrears owed by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which he said has accumulated over the period. According to Dr. Opoku-Adusei Pharmaceutical giants in the country, who provide drugs to the scheme on credit basis, have threatened to withdraw their services as drug suppliers and issued an ultimatum to the NHIA to the effect that if their monies are not paid by July, this year, they would carry out their threat. The GMA head also disclosed that the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has also raised red flag over NHIA�s authority�s inability to pay their claims and are also threatening to stop accessing NHIS patients in their facilities which situation the GMA President said could spell doom for health delivery in the hinterlands. According Dr. Opoku-Adusei, CHAG is the only health provider in rural areas and should they withdraw their services, rural dwellers will have to pay physical cash for health delivery in their catchment areas. He stressed that there was the need to release funds to the aforementioned institutions to help them pay their workers and other equally important payments. The Medical Superintendent of the South Suntreso Government Hospital also urged the Finance Ministry to fast truck mode and means of releasing funds to pay claims owned by the NHIA to restore confidence in the NHIS. He noted that it is unthinkable that some people are happy with the current state of affairs at the NHIS, saying the Scheme was intended to provide equal health care to the poor and the rich, and Ghanaians must do all it takes to save the heath scheme. Dr. Opoku-Adusei said although Health Insurance all over the world has problems that of Ghana is directly linked to Subscribers, Service Providers and Managers. �There is no proper studies before policies are implemented�, he noted saying it is a blow to the development of the NHIS. He said policies are hastily carried out without proper feasibility studies, citing payment system and capitation registration for subscribers as a prime example. �Until recently, there was no transparency in the NHIS and they do not respect providers whom they are working with.� The GMA President said Capitation is health apartheid in the most populous Region in the country (Ashanti), and has been an albatross around the necks of people in Ashanti Region and challenged the NHIA to make it national for the benefit of all Ghanaians if it believed it is a laudable initiative. Dr. Opoku-Adusei criticized the partisan approach of the policy and said �after attaining independent from our Colonial masters, the next important policy in our development as a country is the NHIS and should not be manhandled or politicised.�