The Northern Regional Hospital, formerly known as Tamale Central Hospital, is on the brink of closure due to a GH¢3,360,046.74 debt resulting from overpayments made by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
In March 2018, an NHIA audit revealed that the hospital had mistakenly received GH¢4,223,949.02 due to duplicate claims from 15,876 reimbursement submissions.
Between November 2023 and the present, NHIA has deducted GH¢863,902.83, leaving an outstanding balance of GH¢3,360,046.74.
In a letter dated Friday, February 13, 2025 (reference number GHS/NR/NRH), addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of NHIA, the hospital expressed concerns that the situation is severely impacting healthcare delivery and pushing the facility toward possible closure.
“The persistent deductions have placed significant financial strain on the hospital, severely impacting its ability to meet operational demands and deliver quality healthcare services to the community.”
To address the issue, the hospital has proposed a five-year repayment plan to clear the outstanding debt.
“We respectfully reiterate our proposal to settle the outstanding balance through a five-year payment plan with monthly installments of GH¢56,000.”
“We believe that this structured approach will enable the hospital to meet its financial obligations while maintaining uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to the Northern Region.”
The NHIA 2018 audit covered the period from January 2014 to May 2017 to verify the increasing claims submitted by the hospital. The report confirmed that GH¢4,223,949.02 had been wrongly disbursed due to duplicate claims.
The hospital now awaits a response from the NHIA regarding its repayment proposal.
