Asamankese (E/R), Nov. 10, GNA - The Public Relations Officer of the West Akyem District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, Mr Stephen Odame, has debunked rumours that the scheme does not take care of the poor.

He said the scheme recently conducted a mass registration exercise and registered 2,012 people who could be described as core poor and indigents and assured that information gathered during the exercise was being processed and those who really fall within the poverty bracket, would be registered without paying the premium.

Mr Odame was speaking at a day's workshop organized by the scheme for its premium collectors at Asamankese.

He announced that this year the scheme registered 36,016 members, up from 8,706 persons last year.

Mr Odame said the scheme had presented 73 Identity card cards to members of the Blind Association and 34 cards to Osenase Orphanage, all in the district.

The acting manager of the scheme, Mr Ben Acquaah, observed that, the success of the scheme will depend on the performance of its premium collectors.

He therefore called on collectors to re-double their efforts to register as many people as possible so that the desire of government to provide affordable and quality health-care to the people is attained. The District Chief Executive, Mr Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye, said the district assembly was preparing an office in central Asamankese for the scheme and will also provided two motor bikes valued at 50 million cedis to its officials.

The St. Dominic's Hospital at Akwatia was presented with an award as the best service provider with eight premium collectors receiving awards for excellent performance.

Mr Stephen Danquah of Akantang and Mr Francis Aryeetey, Asuotwene, received awards for being the overall best collectors for 2005 and 2006, respectively, while Mr Joseph Aryeh of Osenase was adjudged the best collector in community mobilization for the 2006 insurance year.