Tema, Dec 17, GNA- The Trade Union Congress (TUC), taking advantage of the National Health Insurance Act, on Tuesday declared its intention to initiate a health insurance scheme for workers throughout the country. Mr Kwesi Adu-Amankwah, Secretary-General of the TUC said this at a general meeting of the Tema District/Regional Council of Labour. He said TUC's intention is to go into private mutual health insurance.

Mr Adu-Amankwa denied a newspaper report that a Belgium financier has deposited money to help TUC initiate the scheme and said ''at the appropriate time we will take the paper on at the right quarters.'' Mr Adu-Amankwah said TUC would not organise its scheme on the basis of one's health condition or age as is the case of private commercial health insurance under the Act.

''When our scheme is properly managed and we are able to declare profit it will be ploughed back into the scheme to improve the quality of health care for our workers.''

Mr Adu-Amankwah said TUC's protestation about the deduction of two-and-half percent from the SSNIT contribution was based on a report that was submitted to the SSNIT Board by management in March.

''If SSNIT is very viable then it should improve the benefits of pensioners, 60 percent of who earn a pantry sum of 200,000 cedis a month as their pension'', he said.