Elmina, April 29, GNA - The Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly has since the first quarter of this year buried seventeen unidentified bodies, found along the beaches and the Cape Coast - Takoradi highway.

They are suspected to be mostly escapee inmates of the Ankaful Psychiatric hospital, and were buried at the Elmina public cemetery. Reverend Mrs Veronica Essuman Nelson, Municipal Chief Executive for the (KEEA) Municipal Assembly, who disclosed this at the assembly's sitting on Tuesday, said efforts are being made to curtail the rampant escapes by patients of the hospital whiles a suitable burial site at Elmina was also being considered.

On the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHS) she announced that the municipality has registered 71,809 clients of the total population of 119,000, representing 59.84 per cent and has so far collected GHC 122,679.87 as premium from the informal sector. She pointed out that claims subsidy for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for the 2009 operational year was GHC 2,148,399.32. In the area of sanitation, the MCE said a total of 832 food and drinking spots were inspected while 2,310 food and drink vendors were screened, out of which 20 cases of typhoid and 11 cases of intestinal worms were detected.

She said the infected vendors were referred to the health authorities for treatment before certificates were issued to them to sell. Rev. Mrs. Nelson said the assembly far exceeded its target of GHC 197,475.00 and succeeded in mobilizing GHC 248,409.27 of its internal revenue generation for last year.

She said GHC 49,503.00 of the GHC 51,480.00, estimated to be generated in the first quarter of this year, has already been collected and was optimistic that the assembly will exceed its target again this year. Rev. Mrs. Nelson expressed concern about the low standard of education in the municipality and said as a remedy, a study camp was organised for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates at Eguafo during the last vacation and gave the assurance that, it will be replicated in all the communities in the municipality.

To further enhance educational standards, the assembly was also making a compilation of the number of schools held under trees for onward submission to the Administrator of GETFund for consideration. On development projects, she said a total of 26 projects are on-going in the municipality and they include GETFund sponsored school projects, roads and toilet facilities.

Some of the school projects include a 2-unit classroom block at Benyadze, which is 85 per cent complete, a 3-unit classroom block at Nkontrodo, which is also 75 per cent complete and the construction of a 3-unit classroom block at Etsiapa. She however advised Assembly members to be civil, united and sincere during their campaigns, for the forthcoming district assemblies' elections, to ensure a free, fair and violence free elections.