Sekondi fishermen refuse to register with NHIS

Sekondi, July 14, GNA - Fishermen in Sekondi Fishing Harbour, on Monday refused to register for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

This was after officials from the Scheme had gone to register them at the instance of the Sekondi Fishing Harbour Landing Beach Committee (LBC).

The fishermen said they were opposed to the proposals of the LBC that fishermen register with the Scheme.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Joe Eshun, the Secretary of the Canoe Owners Association, said the LBC had not rendered proper account of its stewardship to the Association since they started work about a year ago.

According to him, the LBC had presented an audited report to the Association without a financial statement adding, 93We realized that the LBC cheated us since there has not been any proper account since they assumed office", he said.

Mr Eshun said the audit report was not accepted since the Association did not know the profit that had been accrued from the sale of the premix fuel adding 93We want to know where our money is, for us to decide on what project we want to initiate in the community and not for anyone to dictate to us how the profit should be used", he said.

Mr Kobina Pra-Anan, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, told the GNA that the LBC's was formed to see to the sale of the premix fuel and for which the revenues were to be used to develop the communities.

He said the fisher folks and their families were to benefit from the NHIS registration adding 93some small amount of the profit from the sale of premix fuel would be use for the registration for the Scheme and the remaining amount could be used for community initiated projects".

The Metropolitan Chief Executive assured the fisher folks that he would personally go through the audited report as well as hold periodic meetings with them for amicable solution to be reached.

He added that a secretariat would be set up to identify the fisher folks who needed to be registered under the scheme.