Mankessim (C/R), July 23, GNA - The chiefs, queens and people of the Mankessim Traditional Council at the weekend celebrated their annual Yam Festival to signify the harvest of new yams.

The festival also signifies the purification of ancestral stools by the chiefs and queens.

Addressing a durbar to climax the festival, Nana Araba Otua II, queenmother of the traditional area appealed to the people to patronise the Mutual Health Insurance Scheme to enable them to access quality health care.

"Those who have not registered yet should do so and pay their premium without further delay", the queenmother advised. Nana Otua suggested to the government to introduce a package that would make it possible for workers to buy their basic needs on hire purchase as a way of minimising corruption.

She reminded the people especially the youth that sex was real and cautioned them to abstain from indiscriminate sex to avoid contracting the disease.

Nana Mbrenu Edumadze, a sub-chief in charge of education advised parents to take advantage of government's recently introduced capitation fund to send their children to school. 23 July 05