Assembly calls for education on National Health Insurance Scheme

Denu (V/R), Aug 1, GNA - Mr Linus Godman Koffie, Ketu District Chief Executive, has asked members of the Ketu District Assembly to educate people in their various communities on the proposed Health Insurance Scheme to ensure its acceptance and successful take off. He said it was important that opinion leaders at the local level discussed the scheme with their people alongside deliberations at the national level.

Mr Koffie made the call when he led discussions on various issues during the two-day ordinary session of the assembly to approve the Assembly's 2003 supplementary budget.

The Assembly failed to approve the budget at its second ordinary meeting in April following disagreement over some portions.

He said the government had lodged 300 million cedis into the Assembly's account to serve as seed money for the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme adding and that the Assembly was waiting for further directions on the issue.

Mr Koffie said the government was considering handing over the management of the District Assemblies' Poverty Alleviation Fund to non-governmental organisations because of the current poor recovery rates.

"The government has, therefore, retained the 20 per cent Poverty Alleviation component of the Common Fund for this year."

Prominent commitments in the Assembly's 6.1 billion cedis supplementary budget for the year are 309 million cedis for extension of electricity to sub-district structures at Afife, Klilor and Aflao-Wego, the new Aflao Circuit Court building and Afife and Adina rural clinics.

The others are 445 million cedis to assist Dzodze, Ehie and Penyi to access water under the German Development Agency (GTZ)- Small-Towns Water Scheme and 1.2 billion cedis for Productivity Improvement and Employment Generation under the support for Small-Scale Enterprises.