Board of Directors of District HIS inaugurated

Daboase (W/R), April 1, GNA - The Mpohor Wassa East District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme is facing serious constraints in its implementation, Mr Edward Tawiah Amprofi, the District Chief Executive, said on Thursday.

This was contained in an address read for him by Mr Alex Obeng-Gyabaa, the District Coordinating Director, at the inauguration of the 12-member Board of Directors of the scheme at Daboase.

Mr Amprofi said the registration of members of the scheme was moving at a slow pace and 17,568 people out of a target of 50,000 have been registered as at December 31, 2004.

He said although many houses had been coded, many more are not coded and these problems had affected premium collection to the extent that only 20 million cedis had been collected as at December 31, 2004. Mr Amprofi said the Board was constituted at a time when the seed money for the implementation of the scheme was almost exhausted.

He said members of the Board had to attend meetings without being paid adequately for transport and sitting allowances but this did not deter them from meeting regularly.

Mr Amprofi said the situation had not improved much, since the National Health Insurance Council has not disbursed funds to the district.

He said "I wish to urged you to continue to pledge your unflinching support to the scheme as you have done in the past with the hope that the financial situation will soon be ameliorated".

Mr Amprofi said "The policy objective of the National Health Insurance Scheme was to ensure that within the next five years, every resident of Ghana belong to a health insurance scheme that adequately qualifies him or her not to pay money out of pocket at the point of service delivery". Dr Kwaku Anin Karikari, Chairman of the Board, said the present aim of the Board is to mobilise funds to pay for health services of the people. He said the Board was planning and implementing strategies to get the scheme moving and would ensure that people start benefiting from the scheme by June this year.

Mr Kwamena Takyi-Arthur, the manager of the scheme said the Board of Directors was the second highest organ in the health insurance structure after the Health Insurance Assembly.

He said the Board would be responsible for the enforcement of the district health insurance scheme constitution, budget and render operational and financial accounts to the Health Insurance Assembly.