Tema registers 51,461 under NHIS in six months

Tema, Aug 12, GNA - The Tema Metropolitan Office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has registered a total of 51,461 people for the first half of this year. About 55 per cent of the number, that is 15,766, were children below 18 years.

Mr Kempes Ofosuware, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive announced this on Tuesday at the First Ordinary Meeting of the Third Session of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA). He said since its inception, the Metropolis under the scheme, has recorded a total of 374,571 card-bearing members, out of which 341,129 were active members.

Mr Ofosuware said as part of efforts to automate the Scheme, the Assembly had acquired 14 data points and two Internet Protocol (IP) phones local area network. He said four service providers, Tema General Hospital, Tema Polyclinic, Manhean Health Centre and Kpone Health Centre, have so far been connected to the network.

He entreated the Scheme Manager to mobilize resources to intensify on-going public education to attain a universal registration for residents in the Metropolis.

On the School Feeding Programme, Mr Ofosuware said a total of 16,277 pupils from 15 clusters of schools, made up of 44 streams of primary schools, constituted beneficiaries of the programme in the Metropolis. He observed that apart from providing balanced diet to the pupils, the programme had also increased enrolment of beneficiary schools by 100 percent.

Mr Ofosuware added that it had also generated employment opportunities for 98 caterers and cooks within the Metropolis. On streetlights, he announced that under the Tema Restoration Agenda, all faulty street lights within the central business district would be repaired and/or replaced with new ones. He said in September this year, the Assembly hoped to install about 836 streetlights on 12 principal streets in the Metropolis under the second phase of the Regional Street Lighting Programme initiated by the Ministry of Energy in 2008. Mr Ofosuware added that the Assembly had received a total of 400 street light fittings and indicated that the needed switching accessories would be purchased to facilitate their installations.