Mfantseman District Health Insurance stakeholders attend school

Saltpond (C/R), Feb. 20, GNA - Saltpond Government Hospital declared 30 patients paupers in 2002 due to their inability to pay their bills, and 40 absconded without paying their bills.

Philanthropist settled the bills of 25 patients who were unable to pay for the cost of their treatment to save them from being detained at the hospital.

Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, Mfantseman District Chief Executive made these revelations at a workshop for stakeholders on District Health Insurance at Saltpond.

It was organised by the District Assembly in collaboration with Partners for Health Reforms plus (PHR plus) a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project.

The stakeholders were taken through principles and process of setting up Mutual Health Insurance risk management techniques, benefits packages and dues, overview of the National Health Insurance Law-Act 650 and social mobilisation, among others.

Mr Quainoo-Arthur said as a consequence of cash and carry system of health delivery, a number of patients have resorted to self-medication, others have fallen victims to quacks, unproven herbal concoctions, which often result in fatal complications.

The DCE said it was time for us to change from this unfriendly cash and carry system of health delivery to a more "human faced" system which was the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He urged the participants, who would form the caucus of the District Health Insurance to take the workshop seriously to enable them to perform effectively as the disciples of the district.

Mr Quainoo-Arthur appealed to the people of the district to co-operate with the stakeholders to ensure that the scheme took off by July 1 2004.

Mr Frank Neequaye, the Presiding Member of the Assembly urged the participants to mount education programmes in all the communities to enable them to embrace the scheme. 20 FEB 04