Health News of Friday, 3 April 2015

Source: GNA

Nkoranza records over 240,000 NHIS card-bearers

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) recorded 240,322 card-bearers in both the Nkoranza South Municipality and the Nkoranza North District in 2014.

Madam Stella Amoatemaa, the Nkoranza South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) said this in an address read for her at a stakeholders review meeting of the scheme at the week end at Nkoranza in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Madam Amoatemaa said card-bearers utilization recorded in 2013 was 244,426.

The Card-bearers utilization implies the total number of times that registered members of the scheme in both areas accessed health care delivery services.

The MCE said government was committed to providing the citizenry with quality health care services and appealed to the people in the area to avoid playing politics with the operation of the scheme.

Mr. Sebastian Alagpulinsa, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of NHIS disclosed that in 2014, a total of 1,507,469 school children were captured under the scheme in the Region.

Mr. Alagpulinsa said a major challenge confronting staff of the scheme in the area was the lack of a permanent office accommodation and appealed to the Nkoranza Municipal Assembly to assist in that regard.

Mr. Francis Tawia, Administrator of the Nkoranza Saint Theresa’s Catholic Hospital said malaria cases topped the list of first 10 diseases reported at the Hospital in 2014 and disclosed that the Hospital recorded three maternal deaths within the period.

Mr. Tawia said the management of the hospital had put in place ‘an active Ebola control team’ to handle suspected cases of the disease in the Municipality.

Mr. Kingsford Opoku-Gyamfi, Area Manager of the NHIS announced that they would soon embark on a Biometric System Registration to capture all clients under the new recognized data system.

Nana Donyina Kyere Kuffour II, Chief of Nkwabeng near Nkoranza, who presided, urged all non-registered residents in the Municipality to register with the scheme.