The latter part of 2010 has been fixed for the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) one-time premium payment. Currently, a proposal has been tabled for the one-time payment and there are on-going consultations with stakeholders in the sector. Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, Deputy Minister of Health-designate, told Parliament that after consultations cabinet would also take a look at the proposal. He said there is no firm date as yet, but rather the latter part of 2010 had been set aside as a tentative date for the implementation of the one-time payment. The Minister was responding to questions related to the NHIS and particularly on why the NHIS at Techiman had increased the annual premium from 14.00 to 18.00 Ghana cedis. Dr Kunbuor said the Techiman District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme charges premiums within the range of 7.20 and 48.00 Ghana cedis provided for in the NHIS policy document. "Though the minimum premium within the scheme remains 7.20 Ghana cedis, the scheme's assessment of registrants puts a bulk of its membership in a payment range between 14.00 and 18.00 Ghana cedis." The Deputy Minister said "Of the amount charged, 4.00 Ghana cedis is for registration and processing of applicants including the issuance of the new NHIS identity cards. Accordingly, the effective premiums charged range between 10.00 Ghana cedis for renewal of membership and 14.00 for new membership." "It is accordingly, not the case that premiums have been increased," he added. In response to another question on when district hospitals would be provided for districts without hospitals, Dr Kunbuor said 62 districts do not have district hospitals but the Ministry of Health had initiated steps to provide every district with such a facility. "Designs for some of the district hospitals have been completed. Details for the funding of the construction of these facilities would be presented to Parliament in due course and we anticipate the support and cooperation of honourable members when the opportune time arrives." Responding to another question on when the construction of the Tepa District Hospital in the Ashanti Region would begin, Dr Kunbuor said the Ministry is finalizing designs for a number of hospitals of which the Tepa hospital was one. Source: GNA