Premiums for Oguaa mutual health insurance not encouraging- Manager

Cape Coast, Jan 12, GNA- The Manager of the Oguaa Mansin Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. Osei Reindorf on Thursday said it was not encouraging that only 1,500 of a total of 15, 743 persons who have registered for the scheme have fully paid their premiums, since the scheme took off last November.

He also expressed concern that some people were going round in the rural areas to discredit the scheme, after his outfit had gone to those areas to educate the people about its benefits. Mr. Reindorf, stated these at a 'Central Regional forum on the scheme' organised by the National Health Insurance Council to assess the level of implementation in the region.

He said 12,186 of those registered are in the formal sector whose premiums are yet to be paid by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

The manager announced that two pharmacy shops in Cape Coast have been given "temporary accreditation" to provide drugs to beneficiaries of the scheme, and mentioned some of the problems the scheme as lack of budget allocation for administrative work, vehicle and other logistics and appealed to the Council to expedite action on the issues raised to facilitate the success of the scheme.

Mr Michael Essandoh, Regional Coordinating Director observed that the NHIS had an antecedent in the culture and traditions of the country where everybody contributed towards each other's welfare, such as during funerals, outdooring and other social activities. He therefore encouraged the public to consider the scheme as such, and fully embrace it and also urged the Council to ensure that the needed logistics were provided.

Dr. Aaron Ofei, Regional Director of Health Services noted that there was no better alternative to the scheme, adding that it was "the best way of making quality health care delivery accessible to all".