Regional News of Friday, 8 August 2003

Source: GNA

Techiman kick against use of workers' SSNIT contributions

Techiman, Aug 8, GNA- Participants at a one day workshop on the National Health Insurance Bill on Friday called on the government not to use two-and-a-half percent of workers' SSNIT contributions as seed money for the National Health Insurance Scheme.

This was contained in a resolution submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and Finance on the Bill at the end of the workshop at Techiman.

The Cooperative League of USA (CLUSA) of the Government Accountability Improves Trust (GAIT) organized the workshop.

The participants suggested to the government to explore other areas of sourcing money for the fund instead workers' SNNIT contribution. The areas include taxation on manufacture of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and transfer of workers' medical benefits, a percentage from MPs Common Fund and benevolent societies and organizations.