CLASSIC FM Techiman, B/A The Wenchi Mutual Health Insurance Scheme had as at June this year, paid over ¢8 billion as total claims for the cost of health care delivery under the scheme.

The Manager of the scheme, Mr Vincent Arthur, who disclosed this at the Second annual general meeting of the scheme at Wenchi, said the scheme had targeted to register at least 55 per cent of the population in the district this year, in line with the national target of 60 per cent registration.

He said the scheme has done well to increase its membership from 35,532 to 44,899 hoping to increase it to about 55,500 by the end of 2008, which had received ¢3,571,668,800 as subvention from the National Health Insurance Fund. The scheme was able to mobilized a total amount of ¢4,483,749,300.

Mr. Arthur said efforts were being made to educate clients on the effect of the abuse of the system to help reduce the budgeted healthcare bill for this year.

The scheme's future challenges include 3, 300, 000, 00 indebtedness to the service providers, inadequate office space, high utilization rate, delay in release of fund from NHIC, shortage of drugs at some of their accredited health facilities, inadequate human resource and means of transportation.

The Wenchi District Health Director Dr. Peter Asare urged Managements of mutual health insurance schemes to emphasize on the preventive aspect of health issue in their sensitization programmes as a way of cutting down cost on healthcare.

The District Director observed that, with the inception of the NHIS, there has been early reporting of cases to clinics and hospitals for prompt treatment and this has reduced mortality and morbidity of diseases adding that, the operations of free health care under the scheme has helped to empower the registered clients financially since the money saved can be used for other social commitment.

For her part, the DCE for Wenchi Hon. Farizana Bintu Ibrahim warned, those staff of some health institutions who are hostile to the card bearing members and also refuse to give maximum recognition to patients on the health insurance scheme but pay attention to those who are ready to pay cash adding that such practices could scare people from joining the scheme.

She advised the management of the scheme to exhibit a high sense of dedication, hard work, team work and fairness in the discharge of their duties and pledged the assembly’s commitment to support the scheme.