Sefwi-Wiawso (W/R), Sept. 23, GNA -- The Sefwi-Wiaso District Secretariat of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has paid 350 million cedis as claims to health facilities from January to May, this year.

So far 40,000 people have registered with the Scheme and about 30,000 have received their identity cards.

Miss Lydia Adjei, Public Relations Officer of the Scheme, disclosed these to the Ghana News Agency at Sefwi-Wiawso at the weekend. She mentioned the Sefwi-Wiawso Government Hospital, Saint John of God Hospital at Sefwi-Asafo and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi as some of the health facilities where their members assess healthcare services.

Miss Adjei said the Scheme had chosen KATH as a referral point due to the long distance from Sefwi-Wiawso to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi.

She further said five chemical shops in the District had been selected to serve their clients and mentioned the lack of a vehicle for outreach programmes and the low commission paid to the Scheme's levy collectors as some of the problems facing the Scheme. Miss Adjei said the second phase of the registration exercise would end next month to enable the picture taking to take off.