Assin Fosu (C/R), July 23, GNA - More than 20,000 people in the Assin District, have registered with the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS).
Mr Kwame Karikari-Apau, District Chief Executive, said this at the district launch of the scheme at Fosu, on Friday.
He said by with the enthusiasm the people have started paying their premium, by the next cocoa season almost everybody in the informal sector would have joined the scheme.
The DCE said 120 health insurance committees had been put in place throughout the district and that a general assembly had also been inaugurated to ensure the effective operation of the scheme.
He said although the assembly had provided accommodation and other logistic support in the form of transport to ensure the scheme's outreach programmes, the office would still need equipment such as computers, photocopier and a four-wheel drive vehicle to enable it succeed in its operations.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, said the launching of the scheme, which is the first in the region, was in fulfilment of the promise made by the government to implement the health insurance scheme to replace the cash and carry system.
He said all districts were actively setting up their schemes to bring health care to the doorsteps of the ordinary Ghanaian, adding that, about 50 per cent of the districts were at the stage of registration and collection of contributions and benefits.
Dr Afriyie said the Ministry would ensure that only capable, competent and committed people were recruited to work at the district scheme level.
Prof Dominic Fobih, Minister of Land and Forestry and MP for Assin South, appealed to the Ministry of Health to rehabilitate an abandoned polyclinic project at Fosu, which was started in the 70s, since the present Catholic Hospital at Fosu could not meet the health needs of the people.
He explained that the delay in the implementation of the scheme was to ensure proper planning and effective implementation and appealed to health workers to treat people in the scheme with care to encourage others to also patronise the scheme.
