Bunkpurugu (N/R), Jan 5, GNA - Madam Elizabeth Pigit Poyari, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District Chief Executive, has urged district assembly members to educate the communities on government policies and programmes to enable them to benefit from them.

She said many people in the district were still not well informed about the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and as such, they had not registered with the scheme even though "it is pro-poor policy".

"We must make sure the people understand the importance of the NHIS and participate fully to reap the benefits of the scheme", she said.

Madam Poyari made the call at the last session of the District Assembly at Bunkpurugu on Thursday.

The DCE said the assembly would step up public education campaign on the NHIS this year and the impending re-denomination of the cedi exercise so that the people would not get cheated during the exchange period.

She urged the assembly members to work hard to generate more revenue for the assembly to undertake more development projects to improve the living conditions of the people.

She said poor revenue mobilisation was hampering development and suggested the engagement of students to collect taxes for the assembly on commission.

Mr David D. Dauda, a Board Member of the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, said some public servants in the district were abusing the scheme.

He said some o f them go to the hospital with their entire family for a general check-up, a practice that had kept so much pressure on the finances of the scheme.

Me Dauda announced plans by the Board to increase the NHIS premium from 72,000 cedis to 100,000 cedis to sustain the scheme but some of the assembly members resisted the move, explaining that it would discourage the people from patronising the scheme.