The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) have commenced free registration of eight hundred aged persons and hundreds of prisoners’ in the Upper East Region onto the NHIS to enable them access free health care.
The move forms part of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection’s Christmas donation to the vulnerable and aged in the region.
Speaking at Bolgatanga, Minister of Gender Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur said government is on course to put in place the necessary structures to ensure that the aged and vulnerable persons in Ghana are properly taken care of as, the ministry continuous to rope in more onto the scheme.
Mrs. Lithur added that with the establishment of an “Ageing Desk” at the ministry to address issues of the aged, other interventions like, the inauguration of the Ageing council to regulate the implementation of a National Ageing Policy bill, which is yet to be presented to cabinet and parliament for approval will see the establishment of an “Aged fund” to address ageing challenges and create a social safety network for older persons.
Mrs. Lithur hinted that Geriatric education will soon be incorporated into the curriculum of all government Medical schools and Nursing colleges to address the health care needs of the aged in Ghana.
She said, “Last year, we signed an MOU with Denmark to provide geriatric services in Ghana. This agreement shall address the health care needs of the elderly and I’m happy to inform you that the technical team will soon present an implementation plan of the MOU for consideration.”
“The agreement will result in financial and technical support for Geriatric education by mainstreaming geriatrics into the main nursing and medical curriculum in Ghana. It will also support a Trainer-of-Trainees program to develop a geriatric curriculum in Ghana’s nursing colleges beginning with the government nursing colleges,” Mrs Lithur stated.
Mrs. Lithur reiterated that, the EBAN Elderly Welfare Cards programme will soon be extended to the Upper East Region to provide elderly persons priority access in banking halls, hospitals and get 50percent rebate on Metro Mass Transit buses.
She stressed that, government is taking measures to ensure that the aged no longer experience some challenges, adding that with the consolidation and strengthening of social protection systems, will eliminate challenges of exclusion, marginalization, degrading treatment and lack of income security facing the aged and vulnerable.
Mrs. Lithur added that, though 43,000 households are beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) in the region, Bolgatanga municipality, Nabdam and the Talensi districts will get more beneficiaries from January 2016.
–
By Fred Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana