The African Women International (AWI), a non � governmental organization (NGO) has appealed to the government to ensure the early release of funds for the successful operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Mrs Patience Hinson, Project Coordinator of the AWI, which is championing the cause of women, noted that patients, especially deprived women, were compelled to resort to self- medication because they lacked the money to pay for their hospital bills.
�Their hope is on the NHIS and if the Scheme is also not working successfully, then all would be lost for them,� she stated.
Mrs Hinson made the appeal after leading various women�s and youth groups on a route march through some principal streets of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to mark the World Universal Healthcare Campaign Coverage Day, declared by the United Nations, which fell yesterday.
She later presented a communiqu�, which was received by Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan, Deputy Western Regional Minister, at the Regional Coordinating Council, in Sekondi.
The Project Coordinator urged the Government to identify and remove the bottlenecks hindering the successful operation of the NHIS, as this would go a long way to drastically reduce maternal mortality to encourage patients, especially women to feel free to visit the hospitals without coercion.
Mrs Hinson said the Universal Access to Healthcare Campaign, which was declared by the United Nations, aimed at ensuring that every person had access to quality health care and this must not be frustrated by petty issues.
She noted that despite the numerous successes chalked by the NHIS, it had its own challenges with the topmost being the late release of funds from the Ministry of Finance.
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