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The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Rockson Ayine Bukari, has said he is optimistic the New Patriotic Party, NPP-led reign will find a panacea to the 'struggling' National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS in the country.

He says the scheme, which is an initiative of the NPP, was on the verge of collapse under the National Democratic Congress, NDC-led government, and pledged the scheme would be reshaped under the current administration.

Mr. Bukari said this when management of the NHIS paid a courtesy call on him at the Regional Coordinating Council, RCC in Bolgatanga to brief him on the 'struggling' state of the scheme lately.

During his interaction with the team from NHIS, the minister did not mince words as he vociferously chastised the erstwhile NDC government for messing up the scheme, saying he was bemused with the current bad state of the scheme in the country.

"Look, the Kufuor-led NPP government did well for implementing the NHIS policy. Let's give credit to former president Kufuor for that initiative. And the NDC only came to power and collapsed the pro-poor initiative; so, you and I are suffering now.

"We thank God NPP is back to power, and I have no doubt the government today under Nana Akufo Addo will give attention to the NHIS", he said.

He, therefore, pleaded with beneficiaries of the region and the country as a whole to remain patient as government was working assiduously around the clock to revive the scheme to address the health hazards of the people.

He added the ambitious and visionary NPP administration had allocated a huge budget to ensuring proper management of the scheme, and that service providers whose claims had not been reimbursed for the past ten months would be settled in no time.

The Upper East Regional Director for the NHIS, Sebastian Alagpulinsa, on his part, enumerated non-compliance with the tariff regime by service providers, the delay in the payment of service providers' claims and lack of adequate computers at the district offices of the NHIS as the main setbacks confronting the scheme.

He noted: "the challenges facing the NHIS in the region are numerous. There are delays in claims reimbursements to service providers", stressing the issue had compelled them (the service providers) to resort to 'cash and carry'.

Describing the situation as tragic, he calls on government to act quickly to intervene address the acute setbacks undermining the scheme and assures his outfit's commitment to working hard to support government find lasting antidote to the 'ailing' scheme.

Meanwhile, scores of service providers of the NHIS in the region have been on the neck of government to fast track the settlement of claims owed them over the past ten months to enable them offer quality health care.