Patients holding National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards have been turned away or asked to pay cash at St Anne’s Catholic Hospital in Damongo following a nationwide system disruption that has crippled electronic hospital management systems across the country.
The technical failure, which began on Monday, October 6, 2025, has left the hospital unable to verify NHIS membership or process claims, forcing management to demand upfront cash payments from insured patients or deny them treatment altogether.
Management of St Anne’s Catholic Hospital explained that they cannot generate the NHIA Claims Check Code (CCC), which healthcare providers use to submit claims to the National Health Insurance Authority for reimbursement of services delivered to NHIS members.
The hospital is also unable to access LIMS (Lightwaves Health Information Management System), the central database containing information on all NHIS cardholders. Even the alternative mobile phone-based platform designed as a backup for generating Claims Check Codes has failed to function.
The system breakdown has left vulnerable patients who cannot afford out-of-pocket payments stranded without access to healthcare.
The Savannah Regional Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority, accompanied by NHIA staff, visited St Anne’s Hospital and confirmed that the disruption is affecting healthcare facilities nationwide.
According to the regional manager, the NHIA issued a public circular on October 6, 2025, acknowledging the technical difficulties and instructing all credentialed healthcare providers to continue serving NHIS members without demanding cash payments.
The NHIA’s public notice explicitly states that “NHIS members should not be subjected to any financial burden or out-of-pocket payments because of this temporary system disruption.” The Authority directed healthcare providers to use alternative mobile phone-based platforms to generate Claims Check Codes during the outage.
However, St Anne’s Catholic Hospital management maintains that even these alternative platforms are not operational, leaving them with no means to verify patient eligibility or file claims.
The situation has created a healthcare crisis for insured citizens in the Savannah Region who depend on NHIS coverage for medical care. Many patients have been forced to choose between paying cash they may not have or leaving the hospital without treatment.
Spear FM interacted with some affected patients at the Damongo St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital and this is what they have to say
(Cue Audio of Stranded NHIS Clients)
In its statement, the NHIA indicated that the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders are working urgently to resolve the technical issues and restore full system functionality. However, no timeline has been provided for when normal service will resume.
The Authority has called for patience and cooperation from both healthcare providers and NHIS members as efforts continue to address the system failure.
