Kumasi, Aug. 17, GNA - The Ashanti Regional Consultative Labour Body has declared its opposition to government's decision to use two and half percent of the SSNIT pension fund for the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The organisation comprised the Civil Servants Association, Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA), the Judicial Service Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT).

It contended that there were existing Health Insurance Schemes operating at workplaces, communities and the districts which needed to be reinforced and facilitated by the government rather than attempts to hasten the passage of the National Health Insurance Bill into law.

These were contained in a resolution adopted by the Labour Body and signed by Miss Georgina Opoku, Ashanti Regional Chairperson of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and representatives of the other bodies in Kumasi on Friday at a forum, which discussed the National Health Insurance Bill.

The resolution also called on Parliament not to rush into passing the bill into law but allow ample time for discussions and sensitisation of the people on the scheme so as to erase any ambiguities in the minds of Ghanaians.

The body said it was apprehensive of situations whereby the administrative expenditure of the scheme would be higher than the projected benefits and therefore, called for the re-examination of the structures and operations of the whole proposal and not hurry with the passage of the bill.