The Sekondi Sub-Metropolitan office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has registered a total of 677 pregnant women under the free Maternal Care of the NHIS. Ms Aba Walters, Public Relations Manager of the Scheme disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Wednesday. She said the project, which began on July 3 this year in Sekondi, registered many women who were between four and eight months pregnant, but have never attended any ante-natal clinic and were also not registered under the NHIS. “Most of these women were aged between 14 and 21 years and were unemployed and had also not been married” she said. Ms Walters said the youngest person presently benefiting from the scheme is 14 years, while the oldest is 34. She said Essikadu, Aboadzi-Abuesi-Inchaban, Kojokrom, Ngeresia, Bakado and European town top the list of beneficiaries. She noted that a few people came from Effiakuma, Mmpeasem, Ketan, Nkontompo and Eshiem. She said the Essikadu Hospital recorded 441, Effia Nkwanta Hospital 156, Fijai Clinic 65, European Hospital four, and Stratford Maternity Home 11, who had been provided with services. Ms Walters said many of the pregnant women attributed poverty as their excuse for not registering under the NHIS and also for not attending hospital. She said that none from the Anaji, Effia, Tanokrom and its surrounding communities had registered under the scheme. Ms Walters explained that the women must first attend hospital and be certified to be pregnant by a doctor before they were registered under the scheme.Source: GNA