SSNIT contributors to form nucleus of Health insurance scheme
Parliament adopts report on loan agreement
Telecom embarks on expansion programme
SSNIT contributors to form nucleus of Health insurance scheme
Accra (Greater Accra) 2nd June ’99
The Ministry of Health is to explore the possibility of using people from both the formal and informal sectors, who are contributors to the SSNIT Pension Scheme as a nucleus of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor, Sector Minister, who disclosed this in Parliament on Tuesday, when he appeared before the House to answer members' questions, stated that the programme is on a pilot basis and that support would be provided for districts and communities, which have embarked upon such schemes.
A committee that would include members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health has been proposed to oversee its operation.
Mr Nuamah Donkor said collaboration between decentralised district health systems and the district assembly is paramount.
He was responding to a question that stood in the name of Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the Minority Spokesman on Health and asked on his behalf by Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, the Minority Leader.
Dr. Addo-Kufuor wanted to know from the Minister whether in a decentralised health service it is desirable that the district health service operates under the district assembly or the Ministry.
Continuing, the Minister pointed out that the point of divergence is the institutional arrangement within which this collaboration takes place, that is, whether district health service is part of the district assembly or the Ministry.
He declared, "we cannot ignore our immediate past regarding the problems that district assemblies are having with the environmental health division".
"We cannot also ignore a weakness in the management capacity at the district level where the health care delivery system needs a lot of technical support and supervision by the Ministry."
Mr Nuamah Donkor was asked whether it was in the national interest for medical specialists and consultants to retire at the age of 60.
He replied that health professionals, especially doctors, including consultants and specialists have in the past been offered the chance to re-apply to be engaged on contract till the age of 65 and beyond if their health permits.
The Ministry, he went on, has engaged and continues to engage retired consultant lecturers and retired professors of the two teaching hospitals when the universities have dispensed with their services.
He said the Ministry sought cabinet approval in the early half of 1998 to engage all retiring health professionals for an initial contract period of five years.
The Minister said many health professionals know the arrangement under which retired officers or those about to do so are engaged and have taken advantage of it.
Responding to a question on the provision of free medical treatment for the aged, pregnant women, and children, the Minister said the free medical care facility is limited to patients, who report for treatment at the hospitals, polyclinics, health centres and clinics in the districts, and especially at the local levels, where the majority of the rural poor live.
He explained that as soon as a patient is referred or transferred from that domain to a regional hospital, the facility ceases to apply.
On what steps the Ministry is taking to assist mission hospitals, which serve as district hospitals, to operate efficiently, Mr Nuamah Donkor said as providers of about 30 per cent of health services to the rural poor, their role in the overall health service delivery cannot be under-estimated.
He said since the role of the mission hospitals are indispensable in the provision of health services, government's policy is not to build new district hospitals in areas where mission hospitals operate as district hospitals.
Rather, he said, government would continue to improve upon both the infrastructure and the human resource base to enable them to provide the needed health services.
Mr Nuamah Donkor said, hitherto, these mission hospitals had no direct support from government, but at the moment, they are being given assistance in accordance with this policy, in the form of payment of salaries and wages of staff of mission hospitals throughout the country.
For example, he said in 1997, a total of 12.07 billion cedis were spent on salaries and wages of staff of mission hospitals countrywide.
Two billion cedis have been approved this year to meet the non-wage recurrent expenditure of mission hospitals as a way of strengthening their capacity to deliver services.
"We have also embarked upon a project to supply selected facilities with X-ray and Ultra-sound equipment to improve the quality of service in such institutions", the Minister said.
With particular reference to the Asankrangwa Catholic Hospital, which also serves as a district hospital, Mr Abraham Kofi Asante, NDC-Amenfi West, wanted an assurance from the Minister as to steps being taken to assist it to operate efficiently.
Mr Nuamah Donkor stated that an assessment of the hospital in September last year revealed that it had a weak financial management system, as a result of which the Ministry has instituted a training programme to build capacity.
Furthermore, he said, under the support programme, "we allocated some microscopes to the hospital, and as soon as the X-ray unit, which is at the roofing level, is completed, we shall install an X-ray equipment to improve the quality of service at the hospital.
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Parliament adopts report on loan agreement
Accra (Greater Accra) 2nd June ’99
Parliament on Tuesday adopted a report from its Finance Committee recommending the approval of an 80.4 million-dollar loan agreement between Ghana and the Overseas Economic Co-operation Fund (OECF) of Japan.
The loan is to help co-finance the 105- kilometre Achimota-Anyinam road.
In a motion for the adoption of the report, Commodore Steve Obimpeh (rtd), Chairman of the Finance Committee, said the road is an important link between Accra and Kumasi and also to the north of the country.
The road also forms an integral part of the route corridor between Accra and neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire, he added.
Cdre Obimpeh said portions of the road between Achimota and Apedwa is heavily distressed and it is characterised by long descents and ascents, some of which have inadequate sight distances.
He said, even though periodic maintenance have been going on, there was the need to reconstruct it to rectify all the defects.
It was the expectation of the committee that the project, when completed, would accelerate the socio-economic regeneration of the Accra-Kumasi route and the country's economy in general.
The loan, which is to be repaid in 20 years with a 10-year grace period, carries a 1.8 per cent interest rate, payable semi-annually and a commitment charge of 0.1 per cent.
The report said where a part of the loan is made available to cover payments to consultants the repayment period would be 30 years after the 10-year moratorium.
The loan, in this case, attracts 0.75 per cent per annum payable semi-annually.
Members in their interventions accepted the loan agreement as a step in the right direction, but some of them, especially those from the Minority side, felt that what the country needs is a long-lasting, dual-carriage road to help decongest the Accra-Kumasi route and minimise accidents.
Mr Christian K. Asante, NDC-Bia, who seconded the motion said the loan would help the project to take off, adding that when completed, the road would facilitate travel between Accra and Kumasi.
Mr J. H. Mensah, the Minority Leader said what the country needs is a turnpike road from Accra to Kumasi, a road worthy of the traffic between the two major cities.
Dr. Richard W. Anane, NPP-Bantama, urged the Ministry of Roads and Transport to ensure that the road is reconstructed with the future in mind so that the country would not be required to seek another loan to rehabilitate the same road a few years after its completion.
Mr Sampson Kwadwo Apraku, NDC-Krachi, suggested that as a way of diverting some of the traffic on the Accra-Kumasi road to the North, the sector ministry should consider rehabilitating the eastern corridor, Hohoe-Jasikan-Nkwanta-Yendi-Saboba road.
Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, the Minority Spokesman on Foreign Affairs, urged the Ministry of Roads and Transport to accept concerns expressed by the Minority in good faith.
The concerns could provide the basis for redesigning the project to give the country a safe and long-lasting road, he said.
Mr Anthony Boadi-Mensah, NPP-Obuasi, urged the government to contribute its part of the funding in good time in order not to unduly delay the project.
Major Samuel Kwame Amponsah (rtd), NDC-Wassa Mpohor East, said, though it is important to make the Accra-Kumasi road a dual carriage, "we should make do with what the loan can provide".
Winding up the debate, Mr Steve Akorli, Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport, who sought to respond to some of the concerns expressed by members, said, "dual carriage is the ideal thing, yet it is not achievable now".
He told the House that the Ministry was making provisions for the future so that when funds become available, "we can expand our road network".
He said it is too late now to take back the project designs to change them for a dual carriage road.
The Deputy Minister announced that the design for the three-lane Accra-Mile Seven carriageway, to dovetail into the Nsawam road is ready.
"The limiting factor is funds", he said.
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Telecom embarks on expansion programme
Accra (Greater Accra) 2nd June ’99
Mr John Dramani Mahama, Minister of Communications on Tuesday told Parliament that the Ghana Telecom was embarking on an expansion programme under which important outposts would enjoy telephone facilities.
He said Ghana Telecom has achieved almost 60 per cent coverage of district capitals in the provision of telephone facilities.
Mr Mahama, who is also Member for Bole, in an answer to a Parliamentary question during "Question Time" in the House said according to Ghana Telecom’s five-year business plan (1999-2003), Mamponteng would enjoy telephone facilities in 2000 with the provision of a 1000-line telephone exchange facility.
He was responding to Nana Asante-Frempong, NPP-Kwabre, who wanted to know how soon telephone facilities would be available at Mamponteng.
In an answer to Mr George Buadi, NDC-Amenfi West, who wanted to know when a telephone exchange would be installed at Wassa Akropong, Mr Mahama replied that Ghana Telecom has no immediate plans to install a telecommunication facility in the town.
He said, however, that Ghana Telecom intends to reach important outposts during the plan implementation by using Wireless Local Loop (WILL) system, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Subscriber Multiple Access Radio (MAR) technology.
Wassa Akropong, which is not listed in the five-year plan, would benefit from the package, he told the questioner.
Asked whether in view of its strategic position as the seat of the paramount chief, action could not be expedited to enable Wassa Akropong to enjoy telecommunication facilities earlier than the planned period, Mr Mahama assured the questioner that his concerns would be communicated to Ghana Telecom for consideration.
On the relationship between the sector Ministry and Ghana Telecom, Mr Mahama explained that the Ministry makes policies and supervises the telecommunications sector.
He said the Ministry outlines the telecommunication needs of the country and ensures that the sector achieves this vision.
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