President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), Edwin Addo-Tawiah, has entreated formal sector workers to accept the 1% deduction of their salaries to support the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

According to him, this move will increase the cost per person, in terms of healthcare, to $100, which is a requirement by the United Nations Organization (UNO).

He also advised the CEO of the NHIS to delegate workers under the scheme to serve on boards and committees at regional and national levels to address corruption allegations.

“The Ghana Institute of Surveyors is proposing to the Labour Union to accept the 1% deduction of their salary to the scheme. And also, we want to propose to the CEO of the National Health Insurance Scheme to make sure that Labour Union serve on their boards and committees at the national and regional level so that issues of transparency, corruption and all other things will be minimized”, Mr. Addo-Tawiah explained.

“The CEO of the Insurance Scheme has made a proposal so that the cost per person will be $100, which meets the requirement for the United Nations for good health delivery for developing countries. The CEO is proposing all formal sector workers to contribute 1% out of their salaries to support the scheme, since an improvement in health care delivery services would inure to the benefit of every Ghanaian”, he added.

The CEO of the NHIS, Dr. Samuel Yaw Annor, cautioned hospitals to desist from charging illegal fees at a consultative meeting with Organized Labour earlier this year.

He added that the scheme needed to be equipped financially to enable it work effectively. Some proposals were put before members of the organized labour in that region for deliberations.

Among the proposal is a 1% contribution to be made into the Health Fund as deductions from the monthly salary of workers and government topping up with 2% contribution from SSNIT.

An increment will significantly shore up the finances of the scheme and close the funding gap that has currently bedeviled the scheme.