Adansi North DCE advises womenDON`T OVER-BURDEN ECONOMY WITH BIRTHS

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Adansi North, Peter Kwabena Ameyaw, has appealed to women not to take undue advantage of the free antenatal care, under the National Health Insurance Scheme, to give more births to burden the country's economy. He was speaking at a meeting, organized by the assembly, at Fomena recently.

President John A. Kufuor announced the free medical care policy for pregnant women, after a trip to the UK, where the British government pledged 42.5 million Euros, to support government's effort at reducing maternal mortality, as envisaged in the Millennium Development Goals.

While appealing to pregnant women, to take advantage of government's intervention, and register freely with the NHIS, the DCE stressed, “We need to be cautious not to cause over-population to burden the economy.”

He said over 1,000 pregnant women had, since the inception of the policy, registered in the district.

The DCE again disclosed that the District's Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, had since its inception registered forty-two thousand, eight hundred and forty-eight (42,848) people.

Out of the number, thirty-seven thousand, three hundred and eighty-nine (37, 389) have been issued with cards.

Mr. Ameyaw told members of the assembly, that the scheme had, as at May 31 this year, paid a total claim of four hundred and eighty three thousand, nine hundred and seventy-seven cedis (GH ¢ 483, 977).

In order to get the scheme to the doorsteps of the people, as well as reduce the ordeal people go through in accessing the scheme office, the DCE added that pay-point kiosks had been erected at vantage points, in the various communities.

He told the assembly that the National Health Insurance Authority had introduced a new Health Insurance card, which benefactors were going to use throughout the country, adding that the new card would be renewable every year, after a five-year grace period.