Saltpond (C/R), Oct. 19, GNA 96 The Board of Directors of the Mfantseman Mutual Health Insurance Scheme have appealed to the government to increase the minimum premium from 72,000 cedis to about 100,000.

The Board was of the view that if the current minimum premium was maintained it would be difficult to sustain the scheme. At a meeting at Saltpond on Tuesday, Chairman of the Board Mr Frank Neequaye said the District Mutual Scheme had paid 583,503.622 cedis as claims for health care services to 5,011 clients who had received medical attention from December 28, 2005 when the scheme took off in the District.

This, Mr Neequaye said, amounted to 120,000 cedis per client and added that only one attendance at a health facility by a client had consumed the premium for the whole year.

Mr Godfred Gyebi Arthur, Scheme Manager, said it had so far registered 36,701 clients out of the total population of 152,000 in the District.

He appealed for logistics, especially a vehicle to enable them to embark on regular outreach programmes.

Nana Ataapim Kweenu VII, Mankrado of the Nkusukum Traditional Area and Vice-Chairman of the Board expressed gratitude to the District Assembly for starting the construction of a permanent building for the Scheme.

Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, Mfantseman District Chief Executive, exhorted Ghanaians to pay serious attention to personal and environmental cleanliness to protect their health. He said since the commonest diseases, which sent people to health facilities were contracted through filth, 93we should be saving the Health Insurance Scheme from collapse if we all maintain hygienic environment=94.