Opeikuma (C/R), Jan. 20, GNA - Mr. James Arhin Otoo, a premium holder of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (AESDMHIS) and a citizen of Opeikuma, near Kasoa in the Central Region, has commended the Government for introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The commendation followed the settlement of his ten million-Cedi hospital bill to the Korle' Bu Teaching Hospital by the National Health Council (NHIC).

Mr. Otoo who was admitted for a 92-day intensive diabetic treatment, said 93but for my involvement in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, I would have suffered untimely death when my condition got worse".

He told officials of the AESDMHIS at Opeikuma that, 93Little did I anticipate that the National Health Insurance Council would pay the huge medical bill that the Authorities of the Korle' Bu Teaching Hospital gave me to settle".

"If it were the 91Cash and Carry' era the Authorities of the Hospital would have either rejected my plea for treatment when my relatives sent me there during the crisis period or detained me until I pay the last pesewa of the bill for them to discharge me, after I had been declared fit to go home".

Mr. Arhin-Otoo also expressed his appreciation to staff of the AESDMHIS for their good work and appealed to them to intensify their efforts to cover more people in the remote corners of the district to enable them also to benefit from the Scheme.

He described the NHIS as a "wonderful piece of work" by the Government and advised the people irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious affiliation to embrace the scheme for a healthier society and economic progress".

Mr. Arhin-Otoo sated that "I have every reason to praise the Government for introducing the NHIS health delivery system, because the Lord God Almighty has used the Scheme to save me from sudden death". Meanwhile, Mr. J. Y. Owusu-Kwarteng, Public Relations Officer of the AESDMHIS, has appealed to clients of the scheme whose twelve months free health care period had elapsed to contact officials of the scheme for the renewal of their Identity Cards.

Addressing a sensitization exercise at the Winneba Government Hospital Mr. Owusu-Kwarteng, stressed the determination of staff of the scheme to ensure the success of the NHIS and called on people in the district to co-operate with them.