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Cured Lepers to be register free with NHIS - Quashigah

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 Source: GNA

Accra, April 21, GNA - Major Courage Quashigah (rtd) on Friday said all cured lepers throughout the country would be registered free of charge with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to receive free medical care.

He said cured lepers were part of the society and should be treated as such without any discrimination or rejection. He said these people though cured of their disease; families and relatives had abandoned them and had nobody to care for them, adding; "it is, therefore, our responsibility to care for them". Major Quashigah said this when cured lepers at the Weija Leprosarium called on him to show their appreciation for increasing their feeding allowance from 1,200 cedis to 6,000 cedis daily. The increment came after a leper's project had been launched by Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in collaboration with Ultimate Media, a media consultant in connection with the Valentine Day celebration in February 2006.

The Minister said it had come to his notice that most of the bills incurred at the leprosarium were paid by the Reverend Father John Campbell, Founder of the Leprosarium and a few others. He commended Father Campbell for his generous work to society and efforts to bring smiles to the faces of the sick that had been rejected by their families Major Quashigah, who said he was touched by the plight of the lepers, pledged further assistance from the Ministry. Father Campbell said though the lepers had been healed, their relatives had abandoned them and came for them only when they died. He said once they were healed people could eat, touch and sleep with them without any harm but "once they have the disease, they are dumped there for the rest of their lives".

He commended the Health Minister for the sharp increment and said the 1,200 cedis was just woefully inadequate. "Now a ball of kenkey is sold at 2,000 cedis, fish at 2,000 and they will also need water to go with it. They have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and one can imagine what the 1,200 could have bought". He appealed to the Ministry and other organisations to assist the leprosarium to pay their water and electricity bills which ran into millions of cedis every month.

Mr Yaw Owusu Addo, Acting Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, expressed appreciation to the general public, who responded positively to the call and donated to help the lepers. "You have really shown your love and generosity to these people and we are most grateful for your response", he said. He said the project would be done yearly to assist not only the lepers but also other needy people in the society. Madam Gladys Adobea on behalf of the lepers commended Maj Quashigah; GBC and Father Campbell for their love, care and support. She could hide her tears from the fact that relatives had abandoned them though they were cured and only came for them when they were dead. The Minister later presented five bags of sugar; 13 bags of rice, three cartoons of milk and three gallons of cooking oil to the leprosarium.

In another development, members of the Destiny Outreach Mission also donated items worth 13 million cedis and a cash of two million to the leprosarium.

The items included 22 bags of maize; 14 bags of rice; 10 cartons key soap; four bags of gari; six gallons of cooking oil; 40 loaves of bread; 20 bags of charcoal; two bags to beans and three cartons of tinned fish.

Mrs Lucy Apratwum-Duah, who made the presentation, said the Mission was touched by the appeal made by GBC in collaboration with Ultimate Media and the Lepers AID Commission. She said the Mission was in the process of making available consumable medicare to the leprosarium through their partners in Canada. "We believe this is only the tip of the iceberg in our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the various leprosariums in the country. We love and cherish you all and we will do our best to lift your human worth", she said.

Source: GNA