Appiah-Nkwanta (W/R), Aug 01, GNA - Only 39,100 of the 115,000 people in the Wassa Amenfi East District, representing about 34 per cent of the population, have registered as members of the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme.

Those who have registered have been issued with identity cards and are accessing medical care at the Wassa-Akropong Government hospital. Madam Doris Oduro, the District Chief Executive, said in spite of public education on the benefits of the scheme, the message had not gone down well with the people.

Addressing a forum organised in her honour by the chief and people of Appiah-Nkwanta on Friday as part of her tour of some communities in the district, she repeated that the scheme was the only means by which the people could access quality healthcare delivery.

The District Assembly has started negotiations with the Tarkwa and Dunkwa-On-Offin government hospitals to enable registered embers to access medical care at these facilities.

At Shusenso, Madam Oduro commended the people for keeping their environment clean and healthy and also for planting trees as windbreaks. She announced that the district assembly has plans to provide all the communities with a health post. The DCE said the assembly has decided to sponsor the training of 50 nurses every year on condition that they would return to serve the community after graduation.

Additionally, 60 young people would be trained and employed as health aids, while the same number would be trained as sanitation officers under the youth employment and skills training programme. Madam Magdalene Arthur, Deputy District Director of Health appealed to the people to provide accommodation for health personnel posted to the area.