A former chairman of the National Disability Council, Andrew Nii Okaikoi, has advocated for free National Health Insurance Scheme for persons with disability in the country.

According to Mr. Okaikoi, this will help the large number of physically handicapped persons who are living in abject poverty to get the needed medical treatment.

The former chairman of the National Disability Council was speaking at the maiden edition of the Dana Excellence Awards.

Named after Dr. Henry Seidu Dana, Ghana’s Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, who is the first visually impaired to be called to the Bar in Ghana, the annual awards attracted dignitaries, PWDs and other stakeholders who have excelled in their various fields of endeavor to celebrate excellence and encourage others to give off their best to unfortunate ones.

The awards also seek among others to encourage society to appreciate the challenges PWDs face in their daily lives, in order to lend a hand of support to them.

Mr. Andrew Okaikoi bemoaned the situation in Ghana where few resources are dedicated to the activities of the disability fraternity, questioning the rationale behind giving more to the privileged when the under-privileged need more to break even in an unfair world.

“When PWDs are given the right training and support, the incidence of begging on our streets would reduce drastically and PWDs would also contribute their quota to national development. We have a lot to contribute to the growth of this country, just give us a fair field and we will surprise the doubting Thomas,” he said.

I believe in the government of President Mahama, Mr. Okaikoi stated, explaining that various meetings he has held with people in authority show that, “the president has many plans to uplift the morale of disable people in the country.”

He called for support to institutionalize the awards to serve as an encouragement to those already working for the disabled and change attitude towards PWDs.

Emperor Gaza International Foundation (EGIF), in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) organized the awards.

As an acknowledgement of his work during his days as the chairman of the National Disability Council, Mr. Andrew Okaikoi was honoured.

“This award is for your continuous support and dedication to the improvement of PWDs in Ghana,” the citation stated.