Wenchi (B/A), Jan. 20, GNA - About 17,000 out of 51,000 persons registered under the Wenchi Mutual Health Insurance Scheme are yet to renew their membership to enable them to continue to enjoy quality health care. Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Agyeman, Public Relations Officer of the scheme who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Wenchi said 34,000 registered members had as at the end of last year renewed their membership.

He said the scheme had provided the national identity card to 23,000 members and was in the process of securing the card for the rest. The PRO attributed the failure by some members to renew their membership and others not joining the scheme to ignorance and the low level of education on the operations of the scheme. Mr. Agyemang stated that management of the scheme was about to embark on an intensive education on the need for members to renew their membership and to get at least 50 per cent of the total population of the municipality to register by the end of the year. He noted that the abuse of the system by members and delays in the payment to service providers by the National Health Insurance authorities were major challenges confronting the mutual scheme. The PRO urged the general public not to politicise the scheme and called on traditional authorities, heads of institutions, NGOs and individual to assist in the awareness creation and campaigning towards the sustainability of the scheme. He condemned rumours circulating in the municipality that the scheme was no longer operating, which he described as false. "The scheme is still operational and there is the need for everybody to register in order to benefit from the service", he said. Mr. Agyemang asked members who would be denied medical care to report to the office.