The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur has assured the aged and vulnerable in Ghana that they will not be left behind in the drive to ensure that they live in dignity.

Nana Oye Lithur made the promise, when she paid a courtesy on the Ejurahene, Nana Odiasempa Antwi Bugyei ll at his palace as part of her three day visit to the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions to monitor the registration of elderly persons onto the NHIS and Eban card programme.

She said her ministry will continue to expand and strengthen all the social protection interventions being implemented across the country. The Minister was in Ejura to supervise the registration of 500 aged people onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) free of charge.

“As a social democratic government led by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, measures are being put in place to ensure that the aged are not become a curse but live in dignity”, she stated.

Nana Oye Lithur assured the people of Ejura that more elderly people would be enrolled onto the various social interventions in the country. The Gender Minister disclosed that, the aged will be provided with the EBAN Elderly welfare Card, to enable them board at 50 percent rebate, public transport buses and recognized private union buses.

“When they go to hospitals they will not queue, when they go to the banks they will not queue, they will enjoy preferential treatment”, Oye Lithur added. She said the School Feeding Programme, will also be strengthened in the area to ensure the school children enjoy one hot quality meal daily.

For his part, Nana Antwi Obugyei ll commended Oye Lithur for her hard work, adding that she was the first female minister to pay him a courtesy call since his ascension to the Ejura stool six years ago.

He said the social interventions implemented by the Gender ministry are crucial not only for the aged but for the whole country, noting that when the aged are well taken care off, society is also free to go about their duties in peace. Nana Bugyei also urged the Minister to collaborate with other sector ministers to help the women farmers and traders with capacity building.

Alhaji Braimah Bawa, Ejura-Sekyidumase Municipal Chief Executive said the area is highly populated and the social interventions will go a long way to cushion the elderly and enable them live in dignity.