The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Akyem, Mr Kwabena Sintim Aboagye, has expressed concern about the low patronage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the District. He stated that out of a population of 170,000 only 65,000 had registered so far and asked the people to do so to have access to affordable health care. Mr Sintim Aboagye was addressing a durbar of the Chiefs and people of the Brekumanso Zone at Owuram in the West Akyem District of the Eastern Region on the prevention of tuberculosis (TB) organised by the Integrated Natural Products Protection and Health Services and sponsored by National TB Control Programme. He said the District Assembly was doing everything possible to ensure that the people embraced the scheme and pay the GH¢ 12 (120,000 cedis) premium. He appealed to the Chiefs and Assembly Members to educate the people on the benefits of the NHIS. The DCE said the government spent GH¢ 45 (450,000 Cedis) on every TB patient undergoing treatment at health facilities every year amounting to billions of cedis and asked people with disease to report to hospitals early to avoid infecting others. Mr Sintim Aboagye said the Assembly had prepared by-laws on sound environment cleanliness to avoid communicable diseases and that 64 auxiliary nurses had been registered under the National Employment Programme in the District. Apart from the auxiliary nurses, the Assembly last year spent GH¢5,000 (50 million cedis) to sponsor 70 people at Nursing Training Colleges to be posted to the area after their course. Dr Hanson Nortey, Manager of the National TB Control Programme, appealed to Non-governmental Organisations to support public education on the disease and other communicable ailments. He said the government had imported new drugs for treatment of TB since most of the patients preferred capsules instead of injections. Dr Nortey noted that everyone was at the risk of getting TB infection if he was exposed to an affected person. Dr Anthony Normshie, Executive Director of the Integrated Natural Products Protection and Health Services, said the fight against TB and its related socio-economic and cultural consequences could not be left to health workers alone to handle and appealed for support in the crusade against the prevention of the disease. He said 32 pulmonary TB patients were undergoing treatment with the organisation and disclosed that 12 were under traditional medicine while 20 were having orthodox treatment. Dr Normshie commended the National TB Control Programme for sponsoring the programme and appealed for assistance to enable the organisation to intensify its efforts in curtailing the spread of the disease.Source: GNA