Nkawkaw (E/R), Sept. 1, GNA - The Okwahuman Health Insurance Scheme formed two years ago in the Kwahu South District has registered 18,958 members as against 8,000 the previous year and collected 1.3 billion cedis to cater for the health needs of members.
The membership is made up of 11,793 newly registered and 7,165 old ones who renewed their registration, an increase of more than 100 percent.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nana Adarkwa Boadi Yiadom II announced this at the second annual general meeting of the scheme at Nkawkaw on Saturday.
He said 244.6 million cedis was spent on the health bills of 600 members at the Kwahu Government and the Holy Family hospitals at Atibie and Nkawkaw respectively.
The Board Chairman, who is also Kwahu Prasohene commended the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), sponsors, for donating 10 bicycles, two motorbikes, a computer and 80.8 million cedis to the scheme to enhance its operations.
He said only eight percent of the district's population of 230,000 have registered and appealed to all residents to enrol to supplement government's efforts to provide quality and affordable health care service to the people.
Nana Yiadom appealed to the government, NGOs and other development partners for assistance in the form of vehicles and other logistics to facilitate education on the scheme.
The Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira in an address read on his behalf attributed the increase in the membership within two years to the efficient management of the scheme.
He said the Ministry of Health has initiated a number of activities in all the 15 districts in the region to implement the scheme and called for effective collaboration from all stakeholders to ensure its success. Ms Helen Dzikunu, a Senior Programme Officer of the DANIDA thanked all the major players in the scheme for their contribution and co-operation, which had sustained the programme in the district. She advised the management of scheme to increase enrolment from the present level to improve its financial status and to sustain it when donor support is withdrawn.
Ms Dzikunu advised them to consider the poor and disadvantaged population who may not afford the payment of their premiums and liaise with relevant bodies for assistance to enable them to benefit from the scheme.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Raymond Osafo Djan said with the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill, more people would register with the scheme to enhance its financial position. He advised members who quit the scheme after benefiting from it to put a stop to the practice in order not to make it collapse and announced that the government had donated 100 million cedis to support it.
The District Director of Health Services, Dr Joseph Larbi Opare in a welcoming address said the objective of the Ghana Health Service is to change the public health idea to community health service where communities will adopt hygienic practices to help eradicate diseases associated with unhealthy environment.
Nkawkaw (E/R), Sept. 1, GNA - The Okwahuman Health Insurance Scheme formed two years ago in the Kwahu South District has registered 18,958 members as against 8,000 the previous year and collected 1.3 billion cedis to cater for the health needs of members.
The membership is made up of 11,793 newly registered and 7,165 old ones who renewed their registration, an increase of more than 100 percent.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nana Adarkwa Boadi Yiadom II announced this at the second annual general meeting of the scheme at Nkawkaw on Saturday.
He said 244.6 million cedis was spent on the health bills of 600 members at the Kwahu Government and the Holy Family hospitals at Atibie and Nkawkaw respectively.
The Board Chairman, who is also Kwahu Prasohene commended the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), sponsors, for donating 10 bicycles, two motorbikes, a computer and 80.8 million cedis to the scheme to enhance its operations.
He said only eight percent of the district's population of 230,000 have registered and appealed to all residents to enrol to supplement government's efforts to provide quality and affordable health care service to the people.
Nana Yiadom appealed to the government, NGOs and other development partners for assistance in the form of vehicles and other logistics to facilitate education on the scheme.
The Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira in an address read on his behalf attributed the increase in the membership within two years to the efficient management of the scheme.
He said the Ministry of Health has initiated a number of activities in all the 15 districts in the region to implement the scheme and called for effective collaboration from all stakeholders to ensure its success. Ms Helen Dzikunu, a Senior Programme Officer of the DANIDA thanked all the major players in the scheme for their contribution and co-operation, which had sustained the programme in the district. She advised the management of scheme to increase enrolment from the present level to improve its financial status and to sustain it when donor support is withdrawn.
Ms Dzikunu advised them to consider the poor and disadvantaged population who may not afford the payment of their premiums and liaise with relevant bodies for assistance to enable them to benefit from the scheme.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Raymond Osafo Djan said with the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill, more people would register with the scheme to enhance its financial position. He advised members who quit the scheme after benefiting from it to put a stop to the practice in order not to make it collapse and announced that the government had donated 100 million cedis to support it.
The District Director of Health Services, Dr Joseph Larbi Opare in a welcoming address said the objective of the Ghana Health Service is to change the public health idea to community health service where communities will adopt hygienic practices to help eradicate diseases associated with unhealthy environment.
