Mpraeso(E/R), July 29, GNA - Out of the 114 in-patients who died at the Kwahu Government Hospital at Atibie, between January and June, this year, only a patient had registered with the Okwahuman Health Insurance Scheme.

Dr Isaac Richard Osabutey, Medical Director of the Hospital, announced this at this year's Kwahu South District Health Directorate mid-year review meeting at Mpraeso on Friday.

He explained that most of the patients who had not registered with the scheme delayed in mobilizing money to purchase drugs prescribed for them when they visited the Out-Patient Department (OPD) of the hospital and had to be rushed to the hospital after some days in critical conditions.

Dr Osabutey noted that such situations never happened to registered clients of the scheme because they received their drugs on the same day the drugs were prescribed at the hospital and begun medication. He suggested that people on admission should make deposits before given beds to motivate the people to register with the scheme where the premium would was lower than the deposits that would be demanded from them before their admission.

Dr Osabutey appealed to the management of the Okwawuman Health Insurance Scheme to run an-all-year registration to afford the poor in society, the opportunity to pay their premium by instalments. Dr Joseph K. L. Opare, Kwahu South District Director of Health Services, said for the last two years, no pregnant woman had died from malaria in the district, saying the district had also been able to reduce death of children under five with malaria from 19 last year to five so far this year.

He explained that the district succeeded in controlling death caused by malaria in pregnant women and children under five-years due to the implementation of the Global Fund Activities on Malaria in the district.

Dr Opare said the project supported the intensification in the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets, home based care of malaria by Community Base Service (CBS) agents and the promotion of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in women.

He said the district recorded 91 per cent in the cure of Tuberculosis (TB) by the end of June, this year, adding that the district had intensified procedure for the easy treatment of TB to enable the district record 100 per cent treatment of the disease by the end of the year.

Ms Paulina Tinkorang, Acting Principal of Midwifery Training School, Atibie, called for the early completion of the rehabilitation works on the student's hostel, re-roofing of another hostel that was ripped off by rainstorm in April, this year and bungalows for lecturers. She explained that the school was expected to enrol more students next academic year that begins in October, this year, but it would be difficult for the school's administration to increase its enrolment without accommodation for students.

Ms Tinkorang said currently, the school had three lecturers and one leave the school soon but it would be difficult to accommodate any lecturer who would be posted to the school when the bungalows were not completed before October.

She appealed to philanthropists and Kwahu citizens to assist the school to establish a computer laboratory to help train the students to become computer literates. 29 July 06