The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has registered a total of 5,597 elderly persons in the Greater Accra, Volta, Ashanti, Eastern and Central Regions unto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The Gender Ministry had also started a nationwide rollout of the Eban Elderly Welfare Card to ensure that a total of 25,000 elderly persons would be giving the cards in the shortest possible time to enable them board metro mass buses at half the fare.

Mr Abraham Asare, Gender Ministry Communications Officer, stated at a NHIS registration exercise for some elderly persons at Adentan in the Greater Accra Region on Friday.

Mr Asare said the Eban cards would also ensure that the holders do not queue at lorry parks, banking halls and hospitals.

He said the registration of the elderly unto the NHIS forms part of the numerous initiatives of the Gender Ministry to ensure that the elderly in the society were taken care of.

“When our mothers and fathers are able to have quick access to social services, especially health, it relieves them of stress, frustrations and tiredness, which gradually deteriorate their conditions,” he added.

He said the Gender Ministry’s collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority was to help ensure the attainment of a comprehensive national development.

“This obligation is part of our mandate to ensure the empowerment of the vulnerable, the excluded, the aged and persons with disability through the social protection and other interventions,” he added.

Mr Emmanuel Ashie Moore, Member of Parliament, Adentan Constituency, said they were expecting to register 500 elderly persons.

He said the National Democratic Congress as a social democratic party would always put in place the needed measures to the benefit of the deprived in our communities.

He noted that although Adentan was not classified under deprived communities in the Greater Accra, people from communities such as Manhyia, Manjor, Ashiyie which inhabited some deprived people, had all benefited.




GNA