NPA discusses retirement health care

The National Pensioners Association of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has organised a meeting to examine the existing structures for post-retirement health care.

It also discussed the way forward for a national policy and advocacy on the issue.

A Resource Person, Mr Ben Asumang said four cedis out of the monthly pension paid to members is being deducted since February to finance the scheme.

He said 55,000 retirees have voluntarily concerted to join the programme nationwide, which begins in February 2015.

He said some of the diseases to be covered include prostate cancer.

Mr Ebenezer Adjetey Sorsey, Executive Director of Helpage Ghana who spoke on Aging and Health, noted that pensioners’ population is increasing rapidly each year and many are having an increasing life expectancy than expected due to good medical health.

He said SSNIT would continue to pay pensioners for a longer period, adding that in the advanced countries the retiring age is being raised from 60 to 72.

He said Ghana Statistics Survey showed that in 1970 there were 381,000 pensioners, 719,135 in 1994 and more than one million pensioners in 2010.

Mr Sorsey noted that there are no geriatric doctors and nurses to take care of the aged in the country and plans are far advanced to reverse the situation.

He explained that Cabinet in 2010 approved the National Aging Policy to provide healthcare support and social protection for pensioners.

Mr Sorsey asked Government to relate pensions to pensioners' demography to sustain the scheme.

He observed that pension allowances are small and therefore pensioners cannot raise adequate money to buy drugs.