Expedite action on Bediako's report - ex-Educationist

Sunyani, Oct. 6, GNA - Mr Poku Kasampe, a retired educationist of the Ghana Education Service in Wenchi, in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has called on the government to expedite action on the T. A. Bediako report on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Pension Scheme submitted to it.

Mr Kasampe asked the government to come out with a white paper on the findings of the report and implement them.

The retired educationist, who made the call in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Sunyani on Thursday, noted that the recommendations of the report would cover those, who would proceed on retirement this year, if implemented without further delay.

Mr Kasampe said the committee was inaugurated last year and wondered why it had decided to go round the country again to collate the views of the people on the scheme after the submission of its report. "The suggestion by the Chairman of the Committee to go round the country again would be a waste of resources, since the committee took one year to do so to collage views from the public on the issue", he said.

Mr Kasampe, however, thanked the Bediako Committee for "the good work done" and expressed the hope that the government would speed up with the implementation of the findings. He suggested that the retirement age for every Ghanaian worker should be maintained at 60 years and not to be increased to 65, as being suggested by a section of the public. "If the retirement age is maintained at 60, it will enable many unemployed youth to get employment to replace the retirees", Mr Kasampe said.

Mr Kasampe commended the government for introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme and expressed the hope that, all districts would speed up with its implementation to enable registered members to access quality health care.