The Association’s General Secretary, Edward Ameyibor, made the proposal at its Annual National Conference held in Tamale.

The conference was in commemoration of the Association’s Silver Jubilee.

Edward Ameyibor maintained that the National Health Endowment Fund was long overdue.

“The fund is necessary because there are certain illnesses workers contract when they are still in office.”

“There are certain diseases no matter who you are unless you are supported by the state you will not be able to support yourself.”

Mr. Ameyibor further lamented that, “There are heart problems, kidney, liver and on top of these problems there is cancer as well.”

“In Europe, issues of this nature are being paid by the citizenry. They have a national endowment fund to support it.”

He implored government and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), to secure a Post Retirement Health Care package for pensioners.

“Workers are left to foot their medical bills when they go on retirement. If you are working with a radio station and when you are injured the many times you are in the office, they will pay your bills but when you leave the office the business is ended.”

He renewed the Association’s cordial relations with SSNIT, saying, “Our relationship with SSNIT is important to us, and we hope to drive more benefits from this relationship. This is why we are interested and are demanding that our pension funds are prudently managed. For many of us, the SSNIT pension is all we have and it must not be threatened.”

Area Manager of SSNIT in charge of Northern Region, Joss- Arris Bougre, reassured the pensioners that their welfare remained SSNIT’s major concern.

“The welfare of pensioners is a concern to SSNIT and I am very happy that the General Secretary said this platform is meant to come out with strategies. I want to assure you that SSNIT is ever ready to support to improve the situation.”

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Pensioners call for National Health Endowment Fund appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr Heno, who is a former secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools said the developments at SSNIT indicates that the company is in a good position to review pensions upwards.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5wJbzwtLM0VcfMyZOrFXkx6zNXCveIS4″]“We are not happy about what is happening at all. It is our money and they have to make sure they manage it very well so that at least every year we can get an upward adjustment. But from what we hear, it means that they are not giving us what is due to us if you can allegedly bloat an amount of a country,” he told Richard Sky on Eyewitness News.

“I’m sure that pensioners will from now decide that they should increase our money by 100% if money can be used recklessly the way it is being used,” he added.

It emerged last week that SSNIT had undertaken a project meant to network all of its branches across the country to enable them to receive real-time data directly from the headquarters in Accra and enhance efficiency at a cost of $66m which later increase to $72m.

The amount was ballooned from an initial contract sum of $34m.

Many have suspected that the deal was overpriced and has generated a lot of backlash from the public.

Mr. Hianu said pensioners are expecting that a thorough investigation is carried out into the matter and believes officials who are found complicit in the deal must be punished.

“Those who violated the laid down regulations must be held accountable because how can the management decide to enter into a contract without the blessings of the board.

He said pensioners will need to convene an emergency meeting to agree on key demands to be made to SSNIT.

We [pensioners] have to convene an emergency meeting so they put in a claim to demand an upward adjustment of the pensions and also a detailed account statement of how their monies are being used.

Support calls for a forensic auditing of SSNIT’s account to ensure transparency.

Mr Hianu said possible proposals that may come up at the meeting include a call for the scraping of SSNIT.

“We are peeved as a matter of fact. Because we are not getting anything at all. We demand that our leaders a thorough briefing as to what our monies are being used for and briefing on what the malfeasance is about.

We will decide the way forward and one of it may be that we scrap it,” he said.

About 5 people are currently being investigated by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for their involvement in the implementation of the project.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post SSNIT scandal: Pensioners demand full account of spendings appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.