<<Print>>

Paramount chiefs in the Western Region have called on the authorities of Ghana Health Service (GHS) and National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to include medication for prostate cancer on the list of the scheme.

This would enable male patients enjoy free treatment under the scheme because such medicines are expensive.

They noted that the disease is increasing at an alarming rate mostly affecting elderly men who cannot afford to settle their hospital bills therefore free medication under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would be the best option.

The paramount chiefs made the appeal when Mrs Edna Gyau Baffour, Acting Regional Director of the NHIA briefed the House on the NHIS and said breast and cervical cancer are on the 517 medication list under the scheme for free treatment excluding prostate.

He called at the House to introduce herself to the 22 paramount chiefs on assumption of office in the region.

On the NHIS capitation, Mrs Baffour said the Ashanti Region was used for the pilot programme and would be extended to other regions in phases after the successful implementation of all the modalities involved.

She enumerated the importance of the capitation and said it enables patients to attend a particular hospital for six months for health personnel to know the history of an ailment and plan ahead as against the general practice of allowing changes of hospitals.

Touching on NHIS biometric registration, the acting Director said the region is widely covered but is challenged with the difficulty in reaching villages without network connections as they had to be transported people to particular centres before they could register.