Assin Nsuaem (C/R), Nov 17, GNA - The Assin District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme has paid 16,141,600 as claims to service providers of its clients who accessed health care in August and September 2005. Mr Derrick Owusu Ambrose, Vice Chairman of the Scheme announced this when he briefed newsmen on the performance of the Scheme since it took off in August this year.

Mr Owusu Ambrose said even though registration of clients had increased, the payment of the premiums was not encouraging. He appealed to cocoa farmers to use the season to pay their premiums and those of their dependants to enable them to access quality healthcare.

Mr Owusu Ambrose, who is the Pharmacist in charge of the Saltpond Hospital and a member of Assin South District Assembly said the Board and the Management of the Scheme had decided to set up registration desks at all health institutions in the District to facilitate registration and collection of the premiums.

He said it had been observed that because registration was done on commission basis, the agents did not care about the aged who were exempted from paying premium and said if care was not taken they would be left out.

He said people exempted from paying fees were no longer enjoying the exemption because of the delay in reimbursing the health institution for what they had spent on them and added that if the Mutual Health Insurance Scheme did not cover such categories of people their plight would be miserable. .