Hon. Nana Akomea,Minister for Information has said that the acceptance and success of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will depend on how outreach programmes are undertaken to educate people in the hinterland and at the grassroots level by the Information Officers of the Information Services Department(ISD).

The Minister said this at a workshop organized jointly by the Ministries of Information and Health for Regional and District Officers as well as Cinema Commentators of the ISD in Accra today. He said the workshop was aimed at throwing light on the Scheme and to discuss how best the officers could undertake an effective public education campaign to make the Scheme succeed.

Nana Akomea reiterated that education is the most important thing that should happen because NHIS is the most socially engineering feature and fundamental in the lives of Ghanaians. He said ISD officers are more qualified to speak about the NHIS because of the role they play in the various Regions and Districts as interpreters of government policies, programmes and activities.

The Minister disclosed that, the Logo and jingles for the NHIS media campaign will be out soon.

The Acting Director of ISD, Mr Divine Kwapong said management has decided to use the Easter holidays as part of the campaign.He noted that the entire programme would take two weeks to accomplish.

Dr A. Akor from the Ministry of Heath who was the Resource Person at the workshop said government currently uses about 80 percent of the tax revenue and donor funds account to finance the health of the people. He stated that the NHIS is aimed at ensuring equitable and easy assess for all the citizenry for an acceptable quality package of health services.

Dr Akor gave an assurance that, within the next five years, every resident in Ghana will belong to a Mutual Health Organization. He added that the government will put in place a multiple health insurance by way of decentralisation and two and a half (2?) per cent of the SSNIT pension benefits will be put in a central fund with which to start the Scheme.