Akropong-Akuapem (E/R), Aug. 19, GNA- The implementation of the Akuapem North District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme takes off from September 1, 2004, at all health facilities under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the District.

Acting District Manager of the Scheme, Mr Johnson K. N. Budu, said this at the signing of agreement between the Scheme and service providers under the GHS at Akropong-Akuapem on Tuesday.

Health facilities, which signed the agreement with the Scheme included the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Health Centres at Larteh, Adukrom, Okrakwadjo, Mangoase, and Adawso.

Mr Budu said as at now, the scheme had 4,500 members who had paid a minimum of 72,000 cedis each.

The Akuapem North District Chief Executive, Dr Eugenia Danquah-Quist, advised the service providers to be patient with the high number of clients who would be visiting their facilities under the package of the scheme.

She urged them to be hones with the scheme since it would not honour the payment of any treatment that was excluded from the scheme. Dr Danquah-Quist expressed the hope that the scheme would provide the service providers with regular financial resources, which would enable them to acquire new equipment, maintain old ones and have enough to motivate their staff to perform better.

In a speech read for him, the Eastern Regional Director of the GHS, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, said the Akuapem North District Health Insurance Scheme was the fourth to implement its benefit package in the region.

He mentioned Afram Plains, Kwaebibirem and Kwahu South as the first three.

Dr Appiah-Denkyira said by the end of the year, most of the 17 districts in the region would have reached the collection point to qualify them to fully operate the scheme.

The Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Scheme, Okatakyie Kusi Oboadum-Amuyaw, who is also the chief of Aseseeso, urged the heads of the various health facilities to meet and discuss the common problems that they would face and advise the Board.

Mr George Kumi-Kyeremeh, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the Health Insurance Schemes, advised the service providers to ensure that they stock their facilities with drugs under the Essential Drug List of the Ministry of GHS to reduce operational cost.

He urged them to ensure that they direct the clients to only accredited pharmaceutical shops or drug stores where they could be assured of quality of drugs.