Gender Ministry inaugurates municipal social protection committees
Nana Oye Lithur, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has inaugurated the Ashiaman and Ledzekuku Municipal Social Protection Committees in Accra.
The Committee members selected from the districts assemblies are expected to facilitate targeting, identification and selection of beneficiaries to benefit from the National Health Insurance Scheme under the African Health Market Project (AHME).
The Committee members are undergoing a two-day training programme to build their capacity to implement their mandate under the project.
The Committee was to facilitate institutional arrangements for effective and efficient coordination, management and implementation of social protection in the district and community level as indicated in the National Social Protection Policy.
The AHME project is an initiative of the British Government, and Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation launched in the country last year to enroll more poor and vulnerable people unto the NHIS in the next five years through the usage of technology.
It aims to increase coverage of quality healthcare within the private provider system and address priority issues that affect the poor in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya through the provision of data and statistics to improve the identification of the poor using electronic means test system.
Speaking during the inauguration, Nana Oye Lithur, said the project is being implemented in ten districts on a pilot basis including Adaklu-Anyigbe, Ho, Ashaiman, Ledzekuku Krowor, Fanteakwa, East Akim, Ejisu Juaben, Afigya Kwabre, Bolgatanga and Kassena Nankana
She said the five year project is implemented in Ghana by a consortium of partners including the World Bank Health in Africa Initiative, Marie-Stopes International and PharmAccess Foundation.
Nana Oye Lithur said the Ministry has also adopted the electronic mode of payment for caterers under the School Feeding Programme because it had proved to be efficient.
She said the School Feeding Programme currently feeds about 1.7 million school children, and by the end of the year, the Ministry would enroll additional 800,000 school children, bringing the total to 2.5 million children hooked onto the Programme.
She said the Ministry had since last year, collaborated with the NHIA to register people aged 65 years and above, the physically challenged and prison inmates onto the scheme.
The Gender Minister said more than 7,000 elderly persons and 6,000 prisoners have been issued with NHIS cards for free to enable them to access free healthcare.
She said the Ministry is collaborating with the National Health Insurance Authority to provide free biometric registration to vulnerable groups in society.
Nana Oye Lithur expressed gratitude to International Finance Corporation and the World Bank for their support in making their work more efficient.
Nii Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said the country in June 2016 launched the National Social Protection Policy aimed at delivering a well-coordinated and inter-sectoral social protection system that would enable people to live in dignity.
He said the system was being delivered through income support, livelihood empowerment and improved access to schemes of basic services and assured the committees of government’s support to ensure success in their work.
Source: GNA