Asamankese, Feb, 15, GNA - As at December 2006, out of a total population of 2,106,696 in the Eastern Region, 662,061 have registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme.
This represents 32 per cent of the population who had also paid 14.2 billion cedis as premium.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, said this at the first annual general meeting of the West Akyem District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme at Asamankese on Wednesday.
He said the Kwaebibirem District Health Insurance Scheme had the highest coverage of 53 per cent with Akuapem South District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme registering the lowest of 18 per cent. Mr Barimah appealed to the National Health Insurance Council to speed up supplying schemes with logistics and better conditions of service to encourage staff to work extra hard to achieve the 55 per cent national target for 2007.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, called on the various District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes to get more people to register and also to educate the people on the concept of the health insurance.
The Regional Director of Health Service, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, appealed to the leadership of religious groups, traditional leaders, political leaders, assembly members, civil society organizations and professional groups to embrace the concept of health insurance and ensure that all their members are registered with the scheme.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye, said from the humble membership of 8,000 people in January 2006, the scheme in the district now has a membership of 42,000 at the end of January 2007 about 25 per cent of the district's population of 170,000. He said the assembly was not relenting in its efforts to ensure that the scheme achieved its aim of reaching out to the majority of the people.
The assembly has contributed 50 million cedis towards the printing of the new identity cards, purchased two motorbikes valued at 50 million cedis for the scheme's public education.
The assembly is also providing bigger office accommodation for the scheme and would furnish it with computers, air conditions and furniture.
