President reiterates commitment to streamline NHIS

Koforidua, March 21, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills has reiterated government's commitment to provide better healthcare to Ghanaians hence the efforts to streamline the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He said the National Health Insurance Authority was working around the clock to settle all arrears owed the various service providers to the scheme across the country in the shortest possible time. The President gave the assurance in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo at the Golden Jubilee durbar of the St Joseph's Orthopaedic Hospital at Koforidua-Effiduase on Friday.

He appealed to health workers to accept postings to the rural areas where their services were most needed.

President Mills commended the Catholic Health Service and its affiliate body- the Christian Health Association of Ghana for narrowing the gap of inequality and inequity between the urban and rural parts of this country in health delivery.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister said it was sad that some scheme managers were siphoning money from the NHIS as government was determined to provide accessible and quality healthcare to the people.

The Regional Minister said the corrupt practices had led to the huge debts of the NHIS to service providers.

Brother Johannes Baptista Torwoe, Director of the hospital said from a humble beginning of daily Out Patients Department(OPD) attendance of 10 patients with specialty in orthopaedics and traumatology, the facility had grown to receiving more that 200 cases including orthopaedic referrals from the sub region.

He said a Dutch philanthropist, Mr Van Caldenborgh single- handedly financed a 200-bed orthopaedic and trauma centre to serve as training school in orthopaedics in the sub region and appealed to the public to support the purchasing of equipment to run the facility. 21 March 10