Accra, Feb. 19, GNA - President John Atta Mills on Thursday said the government would address the management inefficiencies which affected equity and quality in the educational system and take a critical look at the utilization practices of the GETFUND. Giving his first State of the Nation Address in Parliament, where he touched on the duration of the senior high school, he said he would provide a forum for a very dispassionate discussion on the matter to provide a permanent structure for secondary education to serve the interest of all. He said teachers would remain the centre of attention to improve on the performance in the sector and the Ghana Education Service would be expected to revise its teacher deployment programme by focusing attention on the underserved areas. On health delivery, the President said the National Health Insurance Scheme would be expanded and a one-time enrolment fee was a goal to be pursued. "In place of the current district mutual health insurance scheme to which one must pay an annual premium, we will seek to implement a universal health insurance scheme, which will reflect the universal contributions of all Ghanaian residents to the scheme." He said since every person contributed to the scheme through the National Health Levy, the universal health insurance scheme would allow for a one-time premium payment to the scheme.

President Mills said many common diseases could be eliminated or controlled through better sanitation, nutrition and healthy lifestyles. "Accordingly, he said the ministries, departments and agencies would be encouraged to collaborate with others to improve on sanitation as well as promoting safe food and water intake. He mentioned the rehabilitation of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, construction of a 100-bed General Hospital with a malaria research centre at Teshie in Accra, a regional hospital at Wa and the construction of six district hospitals at Adenta/Madina, Twifo-Praso, Konongo-Odumase, Wenchi, Tepa and Salaga as some projects to be tackled to improve upon health delivery.