Dr. Peter Puplampu, a Medical Practitioner has called for a greater caution to ensure that people who would claim to be impoverished does not abuse the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
He said the general public should be given much education on the scheme to sensitize them on the need and essence for them to contribute towards the scheme.
Dr. Peter Puplampu who is also the Missioner Director of Harvest Chapel International, said under the health scheme the rich should be made to cater for the poor at the sense that the rich who fall in the same category with the poor, in terms of occupation, community among others should be made to pay a higher rate.
He was speaking to ADM in an interview during a medical outreach that was organized by the Harvest Chapel International for the residence of North Tesano and Abeka vicinity, in Accra over the weekend. He said the medication would cover at least 400 patients suffering from sicknesses which include malaria, tuberculosis, ulcer, worm infestations and blood pressure.
Dr. Puplampu said even though the health insurance scheme is a good idea but, "practically there might be a problem some where, because Ghanaians can scarcely feed themselves and moreover contribute to the scheme".
On the medical outreach, he said the major reported illness centered on malaria and asked the people to keep their environment clean and practice personal hygiene.
He said there are a lot of sicknesses which can be controlled and prevented by man if we keep a good lifestyle by taking in good meals, engage in regular exercise and maintain hygienic sanitation.
He advised the people to buy mosquito nets to bring down the rate of infections because mosquitoes are the main causative agent of malaria. He said people should continue to visit their doctors for checkups to control diseases that can not be easily prevented.
Dr. Puplampu said it is a vital challenge in the mission of the church to offer free medication to communities where they operate. This he said is part of the church's contribution towards the good of health of the people. Though the church aims to seek the spiritual welfare of the people, their health should also be taken into consideration.
He said the church solicited for drugs from drug manufacturing companies and sponsorship which yielded over three million worth of drugs to what they solicited for.
Rev. Fitzgerald Odonkor, Head Pastor, Harvest Chapel International, said most communities in the country are inhabited by poor people and any move to outreach them in a form of assistance is in the right direction. He said the church would therefore continue to provide assistance to the needy in the society.
He called on other churches to be sensitive on the needs of the people in their communities and determine how to respond to those needs.
The church also donated used clothes and shoes to the people.
