Nkoranza raises premium on health insurance scheme

Nkoranza (B/A), Sept 18, GNA- Members of Nkoranza Community Health Insurance Scheme have agreed to pay a premium of 25,000 cedis for renewals of insured clients and 30,000 cedis for registration of new members.

Last year they paid 20,000 cedis as premium for renewals and 22,000 cedis for new entrants.

Members took the decision at the Third Annual General Meeting of the Management of the Scheme at Nkoranza.

Mr Stephen Opoku Brobbey, acting manager of the board of directors of the scheme, said by the close of registration of members for the year, 134,236 persons in the district have registered.

He said about 1.054 billion cedis was realized as income out of which 854.058 million cedis represented the premium for the period. An amount of 130.944 million cedis represented pre-paid premium during the period while 69.134 million cedis was interest earned from the scheme's investments.

Mr Brobbey said the highest hospital bill paid on an insured client for the year was 8.4 million cedis as against 3.9 million cedis the previous year.

Mr John Ekwam Kweku Pratt, President of the Network of Mutual Health Organisation of Ghana (GNAMHO), commended the people of Nkoranza for initiating the scheme.

He appealed to Ghanaians to embrace the National scheme without politicising it as it is aimed at protecting lives and promoting the health of all.

Mr Pratt urged citizens of Nkoranza to embrace the national scheme "since as a pace setter you should not let the golden egg laid in the district to slip through your hands".

Madam Helen Dzikunu, senior programme officer of the health sector support office of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), urged management of the scheme to organize fund-raising harvests to generate additional income to support the premium raised by insured members.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Kwame Amporfo-Twumasi, said the district has been selected as one of the pilot areas for the national insurance scheme and the government has allocated 100 million cedis from the HIPC fund to support the Nkoranza scheme.

Okatakyie Agyeman-Kudom IV, Omanhene of Nkoranza who presided, said the insurance scheme at Nkoranza started 12 years ago, has come to stay and urged people in the area to patronize it. 18 Sept. 03