Lawra District Health Insurance Scheme takes off

Lawra, May 1, GNA - The Lawra District Health Insurance Scheme (DHIS) was launched at Lawra in the Upper West Region on Friday with the district assembly providing an up-front amount of 100 million cedis for its operations, pending the transfer of funds from the government and DANIDA for its operations.

An initial number of 1,200 members have so far been registered from the 167 communities in the district after paying their premiums of 25,000 cedis each.

Launching the scheme, the Regional Minister, Mr. Sahanun Mogtari underscored the importance of health in every human endeavour without which one could hardly realise his or her aspirations and ambitions. Mr. Mogtari said the mutual health insurance scheme has proven to be the most viable option to the cash and carry system and urged those who have not yet registered with the scheme to do so.

He therefore, urged chiefs and people of the Lawra traditional area not only to patronise it, but also work hard to make it a success. In an address read on his behalf, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Ghana, Dr. Melville George called on Ghanaians to place a high premium on the scheme and ensure its success to achieve its intended objectives.

He identified some of the objectives of the scheme as, greater access, affordability and utilisation of health services to people in under-served areas.

The WHO representative said the scheme also aimed at targeting and reaching vulnerable groups, including the poorest of the poor, such as women and children in the society with other complementary cost effective interventions such as immunisation against vaccine preventable diseases, insecticide treated bed nets in the fight against malaria and integrated management of childhood illnesses.

Mr. Sylvanus Ganfaa, Lawra District Chief Executive said the assembly has provided office accommodation for the staff , who have been engaged to work for the scheme.

He announced that the assembly had supported 40 health assistants who were trained at Wa with an amount of 50 million cedis. Mrs. Virginia S. Kuuder, Acting District Director of Health Services expressed her gratitude to all stakeholders for their contribution in making the scheme a reality in the district.