Navio Pio calls for attitudinal change among health care providers

 

The Chief of Navio in the Kassena-Nankana West District, Pe Adam Asanjojim, has identified the lukewarm attitude of some nurses towards their clients as a major contributory factor refraining persons to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme. According to him, some health professionals’ exhibit gross disrespect to patients entrusted in their care. They are treated with disdain as their plights are being worsened by the attitude of some health professionals who are supposed to be caregivers. He said patients in possession of health insurance are most often not treated with dignity but rather made to swallow the pill of frustration. This, he noted compels others not to register with the scheme in order not to suffer in the hands of some health nurses. Pe Asanjojim made the observation when officials of the Kassena-Nankana District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme paid a courtesy call on him at his palace. The visit formed part of a national exercise embarked upon to enroll more people to the scheme. Under the said program, a mass registration exercise was undertaken to add up to the existing statistical data recorded by the scheme. Pe Asanjojim however appealed to health professionals manning the various health facilities in the region to show love and compassion to patients that visit their facilities to access health care. Any act of intimidation on the part of health professional would compel patients to resort to self medication which is a dangerous practice.  The District Scheme Manager, David Samari, in reaction to the allegation made advised health workers in general to act as caregivers and not agents of destruction. According to him, the NHIS has been made to benefit majority of the rural folks and that any act of intimidation on the part of health workers could undermine the progress of the scheme since patients would have no option than to resort of other dangerous means of accessing medication. Mr  Samari also entreated residents in the district and the region as a whole to register with the scheme since the NHIA has put in place measures to make the scheme more viable and beneficial to majority of Ghanaians.

GBC                                                                 END                                                             IA/