NHIS Manager Appeals for Well Structured Conditions of Service

Navrongo, Nov. 4, GNA-The Scheme Manager of the Kassena-Nankana District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. David Samari, at the weekend appealed to the National Health Insurance Scheme Council (NHISC) to, as a matter of urgency, come out with a well structured conditions of service for the staff of the Scheme. He made the appeal at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Scheme at Navrongo in the Upper East Region.

He pointed out that some staff of the scheme had left because of the lack of favourable conditions of service. "The Scheme's staff have been working here for the past two years and do not know what is ahead of them," he explained.

The Manager cautioned that if the situation was not improved soon, the Government's aim of providing affordable health care could be defeated. He further urged NHISC to help address the problem of inadequate staff facing the scheme.

Mr. Samari announced that the Navrongo NHIS, which took off in November 2005 had so far registered 36,400 people representing 22.3 of the population and premium mobilized stood at 631 million cedis. Out of the 36,400 registered, 29,095 had their Identity Cards and were benefiting. The Scheme Manager also announced that Government had so far released about three billion cedis as a subsidy to cover children under 18, the aged, Orphans in Orphanages, SSNIT contributors and Pensioners. He explained that diagnoses from health facilities in the District indicated that 75 per cent were malarial related cases and said the scheme would soon embark on educational programmes on environmental cleanliness.

He appealed to the Ministry of Health to adopt pro-active strategies of equipping the public health institutions and also encourage the establishment of private health facilities in the districts to ease the pressure on public hospitals. Mr. Samari commended DANIDA and the Kassena-Nankana District Assembly for their immense support to the Scheme.