Press Release

May 31, 2012

IMPLEMENT ONE TIME PREMIUM NHIS POLICY- Berekum MP tells NDC Government

Member of Parliament for Berekum, Kwaku Agyenim Boateng has challenged the NDC government to come clean on its promise of implementing one time premium payment policy for the NHIA it promised the people of Ghana or else Ghanaians will continue to doubt politicians. He said the string of failed promises which has now become an identity of the NDC government, is now indelible in the hearts and minds of many Ghanaians and if the NDC does not take drastic steps to change the phenomenon, Ghanaians will no longer trust politicians. The Member of Parliament gave this advice when he donated an ultra-modern all-purpose ambulance to the Jinjini Health post in the Berekum constituency. The MP intimated that in the run up to the 2008 general elections all sort of promises were made by the NDC which Ghanaians banked their hopes on and voted the NDC into government; “but what do we see now? After almost four years in power no legislation has been put up to implement the policy”, he quizzed. The Berekum MP retorted that the national health insurance scheme is gradually sinking into moribund and today it is only paracetamol that premiums could cover, this sad situation has to be reversed quickly so that the intended purpose of the scheme is realized. He also told members of his constituency to take matters of their health issues very seriously and ensure that they pay regular visits to their health posts. He noted that health issues have become very complicated these days and the earlier diseases are diagnosed or detected the better chances of survival. The Berekum MP explained that many lives are lost during emergencies because of lack of the availability of resident ambulance to convey patients to the district hospitals during referrals in Berekum, and this he believes strongly that the ambulance has come at a better time to end this excruciating phenomenon. He said the purpose of the vehicle is also to serve adjoining towns like Domfete, fetentaa and beyond. He however cautioned them not to request the ambulance to carry corpse since that is not the purpose for which the vehicle was bought for them. Hon. Kwaku Agyenim Boateng who is also the a deputy General Secretary of the NPP, counseled the people of Berekum to also register for the National Health Insurance Scheme as the rationale behind the policy which was implemented by the erstwhile Kufuor administration is to provide free health care delivery to the people, stating that it is incumbent on every Ghanaian to take advantage of the policy and hence asking them to make sure that they register to also benefit from the policy. He noted that even though the present state of the policy which seems to be crawling to oblivion is not what the vision of former president J A Kufuor anticipated but believes that Nana Addo upon assumption of office as the next president will correct it and make it even better and therefore the need for them to register.

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