Nkawie (Ash), May 18, GNA - The implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will take off in full in the Atwima district of Ashanti in June this year.

Mr Charles Yeboah, Atwima District Chief Executive who announced this, said so far, an amount of 96.532 million cedis had been collected from 5,232 contributors with 2,112 of them paying their premium in full. Addressing the Atwima district assembly meeting at Nkawie on Tuesday, he noted that the NHIS held the key to an efficient and sustainable health care delivery system in the country and therefore implored assembly members to encourage their people to patronise it.

The DCE told the assembly that some communities namely Koben, Amachia, Amaduma-Adankwame, Akwaboa and Ahodwo were to benefit from the Phase Four of the Self-Help Electrification Project (SHEP Four). Additional 13 communities, he said had also been approved to benefit from the next phase of SHEP Four and named the communities as Asakraka, Kapro, Nkakom, Tabre, Barekuma, Nkorang, Wioso, Gyankobaa and Sokwai.

The rest are Nkontomire, Srebuoso, Maaban and Kantinkyire. Mr Yeboah said the implementation of 10 Social Investment Fund (SIF) projects have started in earnest and named some of the projects as the construction of a six-classroom block each at Akomfre, Pasoro Number One, Adumasa, Abasua and Kyereyaso.

The other SIF projects, he mentioned include the construction of a six-unit teachers' quarters at Bokankye and Worampong and the construction of clinics at Sreso-Timpom and Ntobroso and the construction of a pottery show room at Afari.

He appealed to the beneficiary communities to pay their counterpart fund to ensure that there are no interruptions in the execution of the project.

The DCE announced that the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) will formally wind-up by June 2004, but assured the assembly that funds had been made available for the completion of the Nkawie market and the Donkoto pipeline, which fell under the project.

Mr Yeboah said the assembly in consultation with the Atwima district directorate of education have manufactures 820 dual desks for schools to improve upon the classroom furniture situation in the district.