Some 226 residents of the cured Leper community in Ho have been enrolled free of charge as members of the Ho Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, Mr George Tasiame, the Scheme’s Public Relations Officer told the Ghana News Agency on Monday.

He said the number is made of 66 cured lepers and 160 dependants.

Mr. Tasiame said it costs the NHIS 1,564 Ghana cedis annually to register the cured lepers and their dependants categorized as indigents.

He said the free registration of cured lepers started in 2008 and that the list of their dependants changes as and when they moved out and into the cured leper enclave.

Mr. Tasiame said the cured lepers needed the support of their dependants to be able to carry out their daily activities, hence the need to extend the indigent package to them too.

He said others thought to be incapable of paying subscription, could be assessed by the Scheme on the recommendations of their Assembly Members to benefit under the indigent package.

Mr. Tasiame urged the inmates to renew their expired membership cards regularly and stop the practice of waiting to be sick before scrambling to get their memberships renewed.**