Free NHIS for 500 aged people in Ashanti
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has organised a free NHIS registration exercise for 500 aged people at Asawase in the Asokore-Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
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According to the sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, the exercise, which was part of the ministry’s social intervention programme, fell under initiatives put in place to protect the rights and wellbeing of the elderly in the society.
The minister, who was on a two-day working visit to the region, had earlier presented relief items to victims of the recent flood disaster at Aboabo, a Muslim dominated community in Kumasi.
She said the ministry, in its quest to safeguard the welfare of the elderly, had put together a National Aging Policy, and that an aging desk had been established to address issues confronting the aged and vulnerable in the society.
The National Aging Policy is to enable the aged to avoid long queues when seeking medical care at the various health facilities and at all commercial bus terminals.
Nana Lithur said the policy, which was currently with the Attorney General’s Department, would ensure that the elderly were given a rebate when boarding commercial vehicles.
Poverty alleviation
Apart from the free NHIS programme, the ministry has also introduced the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) to lead the fight against extreme poverty.
The minister said the intervention had resulted in Ghana becoming the first African country to attain the Millennium Development Goal One (MDG 1), by halving extreme poverty.
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She said 8,628 households in the Ashanti Region were benefiting from the LEAP programme, and that GH¢522, 462 had so far been paid to those households.
Instant ID card
The Director, Membership and Regional Operations of the NHIA, Mr Ben Kusi, noted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was becoming more attractive looking at the efficient policies such as the introduction of the instant identity card.
The Municipal Chief Executive for the Asokore-Mampong Municipal Assembly,Alhaji Nurudeen Hamdan, thanked the ministry and the NHIA for coming to the aid of the aged and vulnerable in the society.