How a birthday party gave top NHIA officials COVID-19
Seven more top officials at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) have also tested positive for COVID-19 alongside the CEO of the authority, Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby, theghanareport.com can confirm.
Among the seven are Deputy CEO of Finance and Investment, Francis Owusu; Deputy CEO in charge Human Resource and Administration, Yaa Pokuaa Baiden; and Deputy CEO Operations, Vivian Addo-Cobbiah.
Theghanareport.com sources at the NHIA confirmed that the CEO of the authority, Dr. Dsane-Selby organized her 60th birthday party which was attended by top managers and Directors.
“It was just a few people at the top, Deputy CEOs and Directors who could make it,” the source disclosed.
The source told the news portal that the birthday party could have served as a catalyst for the spread of the disease.
According to the source, a director at the authority, Ben Kusi who also attended the party has been admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the 37 Military Hospital.
“One director called Ben Kusi is at the 37 Intensive Care Unit. You know when anyone has underlying health conditions and picks COVID (COVID-19), it aggravates,” the source further disclosed.
The deep-throat source within the NHIA said the sector minister shares the same block with the NHIA and as such, CEO of the authority, Madam Dsane-Selby could have contracted the coronavirus from one of their interactions or meetings.
“Someway, somehow, they (Health Minister and NHIA Boss) work together. If you ask me where she got it (COVID-19) from, I will say that it is between the two of them. Because their offices are a block to each other and they meet up to discuss issues and anyone could have picked from the other.”
Meanwhile, workers at the NHIA who have underlying health conditions have been directed to go home.
Notices have been posted around the NHIA building, barring visitors from entering the premises until further notice.
The minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu was admitted at one of the country’s biggest COVID-19 treatment centers, the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) after he tested positive for the virus.
Since news of his COVID-19 status went public, he has received a plethora of good will messages from the public including President Akufo-Addo.
In April 2020, the NHIA took center stage in the media after it donated GHC250,000 to the COVID-19 Trust Fund when it owed service providers millions of cedis.
The donation stoked controversy among the health fraternity and the public, some of whom described it as needless.
NHIS COVID-19 donation ‘misplaced priority’ – NGOs in health
But the authority mounted a spirited defense saying it did not use monies meant for payment of health service providers for the donation.