Accra, July 6, GNA - The Ghana National Pensioners Association, has appealed to the Government to reduce the age of benefiting from pension pay from 70 to 60 years, to cover all pensioners. In addition, diseases and drugs coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme should be made more relevant to the health care needs of older persons.

These were contained in a release from the Association, signed by Mr Edward Ameyibor, General Secretary of the Association on Tuesday. The Association noted that between year 1970 and 2000 when the last population census was conducted in Ghana, the number of people aged 60 and above had tripled and continued to grow, and older persons were gradually becoming a demographic force which required a more serious look of issues related to the aged.

In that connection the Pensioners Association demanded of Government to increase the monthly basic pension from GHc 40 this year, to GHc 80 by the next review period in January 2011. "This demand corresponds with the hike in the daily minimum wage to GHc 90 per month," the release said.

The Association asked the draft National Ageing Policy submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare for cabinet approval to be sent to Parliament by early next year to be incorporated into the laws of Ghana. It also requested the LEAP cash transfer Programme to be expanded to cover older persons in the districts under the Social Protection Strategy of Government, and called for further steps to be taken to remove the discrimination against older persons especially in the branding of women as witches.