Civil servants establish medical care scheme

The Ashanti Region Civil Servants Association (CSA) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health has established a civil servants health care scheme for civil servants and pensioners in the region.

A seven-member regional executive committee, chaired by Dr Joseph Oduro, Offinso District Director of Health Services was elected at a meeting of the management committee of the association to manage the scheme.

A press release signed by Mrs. Jemima Nancy Asare, District Information Officer for Kwabre, said, with the establishment of the scheme, all civil servants and pensioners in the region are expected to contribute 5,000 cedis a month to be deducted at source as from July 1, this year.

The scheme, it said, covers the civil servant, spouse and three children below 18 years and that the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) is supporting the association to set up a secretariat and do the preparation work to get the scheme started.

The release said the idea was mooted about a year ago when it was realized that there were problems with the government arrangement of paying for medical services, since in some cases, people collected prescriptions and submitted them for claims which were not genuine.

It said with the financial support of DANIDA health sector support office (HSSO), a one-week workshop would be held for all executive members of the scheme and other organisations forming similar schemes.

"It is hoped that the establishment of the medical care scheme would be a great improvement on the old one", the release added.