Kwatire (B/A) Nov. 2, GNA - Mr. Kofi Vinyo, a Sunyani-based timber merchant has sponsored the registration of 350 people under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) at Kwatire, near Odumase in Sunyani West District.

The beneficiaries are made up of the physically-handicapped, widows, orphans and other needy persons. At a photo-taking exercise to facilitate the issuance of ID cards to the beneficiaries, on Monday, Miss Victoria Manu, Public Relations Officer of the Sunyani Municipal NHIS, announced that the scheme had registered 214,000 representing 95 percent of the population in the municipality.

The figure is based on the 2000 Population Census. She appealed to non-governmental organisations, religious bodies and philanthropists to assist needy people to register with the scheme. Ms. Manu said the scheme was currently operating with 38 pharmaceutical facilities in the region and explained that with the introduction of the new national ID cards beneficiaries could access health care every where in the country.

She urged those who had not yet registered with the scheme to do so to access quick and quality health care delivery. Mr. Vinyo, who is the Managing Director of Kofi Vinyo Company Limited, said the registration exercise formed part of the company's social responsibility programme.

Nana Akua Amankwaah I, queen mother of Kwatire, thanked Mr. Vinyo for helping to alleviate the plight of the beneficiaries. She expressed concern about the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy and drug abuse, especially Indian hemp smoking among the youth, including school children, in the area, and appealed to the police to intervene to bring the situation under control.

"As a result of this negative practice by the youth, cases of theft and pilfering have increased in our area," the queen mother noted.

Mr. Vinyo later presented a 21-inch coloured television set to the Kwatire health center.