Dambai, April 24, GNA - Mr Francis Kwadwo Odumah, Krachi East District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme Manager on Tuesday said the absence a district hospital was a big challenge to the scheme. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Dambai, Mr Odumah said clients of the schemes sought health care delivery at hospitals at Kete-Krachi and Nkwanta a journey that took about two hours and on deplorable roads with transportation problems.

Mr Odumah said since November 2006 the scheme had issued membership cards to 6,203 clients and attracting more clients but needed a boat to access other people on the banks of the Volta River within the district. He said some bicycles had been purchased for the premium collectors while other staff were being trained to handle cameras to facilitate their operations and reach out to most of the people instead of them travelling several kilometres to Dambai to access the scheme. Mr Odumah appealed to the National Health Insurance Council for a pick-up in addition to a motorbike it provided to the Scheme to enhance their operations.

He said the scheme paid 43.8 million cedis to Krachi West and Nkwanta District Hospitals, some clinics, health posts and service providers.

Mr Odumah said the council had released 345.5 million cedis to cover the exempted group and 250 million cedis for administrative expenses.

He said the Board of Directors of the scheme had approved the procurement of three laptop computers and accessories to improve efficiency and was optimistic achieve 60 per cent coverage by the end of the year.

Krachi East District was created from Krachi District and grappling with problems of poor infrastructure and human resource base.