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The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), is indebted to the Axim Government Hospital in the Western Region to the tune of GH�742, 000 covering five months claims that the hospital has submitted to the authority for reimbursement. The hospital has so far submitted seven months claims, totaling GH�1, 038, 000 out of which the NHIA has redeemed GH�296, 000 covering two months. Consequently, operations at the hospital have stalled as the authorities are finding it difficult to procure medicines and other materials essential for the smooth running of the facility. The Head of Administration at the hospital, Nana Ntim Adjei, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview after the Nzema Manle Rural Bank at Anyinase, near Nkroful, capital of the Ellembelle District in the Western Region donated two executive swing chairs at the cost of GH�4, 500 to the hospital at a ceremony. According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr Emmanuel Y Kwofie,the donation of the chairs formed part of the bank�s social responsibility programme. Nana Adjei has, therefore, appealed to the NHIA to, as a matter of urgency, honour its indebtedness to the hospital so that patients could access medical attention, and also enable the authorities to make the necessary purchases to run the facility efficiently and effectively. Staff shortage Nana Adjei said that the hospital, which had been in existence for the past 90 years is confronted with a lot of problems, especially the fast deterioration of infrastructure, pointing out that the theatre unit, male and female wards, as well as other blocks were all crying for renovation. Besides infrastructural challenges, the administrative head indicated that there was only one medical officer at the hospital who took care of about 250 patients each day. He, therefore, appealed to the health authorities to send additional doctors to the facility to improve access to health care. The staff at the pharmacy department should be strenghtened and more midwives must be recruited to fill the vacant positions,he added The head of administration again indicated that for the past three months the hospital had spent a huge sum of money from its internally generated funds on fuel to run its standby generator due to power cuts. Nana Adjei commended the Member of Parliament (MP), for the Evalue-Gwira-Jomoro Constituency, Mr Kweku Tenikyi Kesse, for putting up a new block to serve as ante-natal clinic at the hospital. In a related development, the bank also donated two three-in-one metal chairs to the Anyinase Health Centre also in the Ellembelle District in the Western Region for patients� comfortability in accessing health care at the facility. Mr Joseph Ackah, the Senior Physician Assistant at the centre, thanked the management and the board for the donation.