 |
| Registration process for the elderly |
 |
| Nana Oye Lithur issuing an NHIS card for an aged woman |
 |
| Mrs Oye Lithur, Sector Minister |
 |
| UERM James Zuugah Tiigah |
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social
Protection has announced that it will soon extend the Eban elderly welfare card
project to the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions to benefit the aged.
The “Eban Card” is an essential identity card that provides express service for the elderly who possess it.
With the issuance of the card, persons who are 65 years and above will get easy access to social amenities and will be exempted from joining long queues at public places particularly health facilities and banking halls.
Moreover, Eban card holders will enjoy 50 percent rebate on Metro Mass Transit buses.
The Minister Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur who made the disclosure said the ministry has strategies in place to roll out the Eban welfare card project to cover not less than 25,000 elderly persons nationwide, adding that already, over 9,500 elderly persons in the Central Western, Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions have been issued with the cards.
Mrs. Oye Lithur was speaking at a special event held in Bolgatanga for aged men and women.
Mr. Isaac Asare of Radio Ghana reports that the sector Minister explained that the Eban was the name of an Adinkra symbol, symbolizing safety, security and love and literally means a fence in the Akan language.
The Eban Card which was launched last year in Accra is in adherence to the 3rd Pillar of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which ensures enabling and supportive environments for the aged and is with the support of the United Nations Population Fund.
Mrs. Oye Lithur, hinted that per the action plan, government hopes to deal with the numerous societal challenges of exclusion and marginalization confronting the elderly and was prepared to deliver on its mandate of making the concerns of the aged a part of its development agenda through the use of social protection and interventions to achieve national growth.
Mrs. Oye Lithur disclosed that in partial fulfilment of government’s resolve to cater for the aged, it has initiated the National Ageing Policy with an ageing desk at the Gender ministry to address issues of the elderly.
Moreover, the ministry has submitted a draft ageing bill before parliament for approval. The passage of the bill, she said will see to the establishment of an aged fund which will be used to addressing ageing challenges and create a social safety net for older persons.
For his part, the Upper East Regional
Minister, James Zuugah Tiigah, said the country over last two decades has witnessed a weakening traditional social welfare system as a result of increasing migration and urbanization coupled with modern capitalist economy.
He said notwithstanding, the family will however continue to remain important source of support for the elderly, so it was imperative for the citizenry to strengthen the aged and support their well-being as a form of social and personality responsibility.
The “Eban Card” is an essential identity card that provides express service for the elderly who possess it.
With the issuance of the card, persons who are 65 years and above will get easy access to social amenities and will be exempted from joining long queues at public places particularly health facilities and banking halls.
Moreover, Eban card holders will enjoy 50 percent rebate on Metro Mass Transit buses.
The Minister Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur who made the disclosure said the ministry has strategies in place to roll out the Eban welfare card project to cover not less than 25,000 elderly persons nationwide, adding that already, over 9,500 elderly persons in the Central Western, Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions have been issued with the cards.
Mrs. Oye Lithur was speaking at a special event held in Bolgatanga for aged men and women.
Mr. Isaac Asare of Radio Ghana reports that the sector Minister explained that the Eban was the name of an Adinkra symbol, symbolizing safety, security and love and literally means a fence in the Akan language.
The Eban Card which was launched last year in Accra is in adherence to the 3rd Pillar of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which ensures enabling and supportive environments for the aged and is with the support of the United Nations Population Fund.
Mrs. Oye Lithur, hinted that per the action plan, government hopes to deal with the numerous societal challenges of exclusion and marginalization confronting the elderly and was prepared to deliver on its mandate of making the concerns of the aged a part of its development agenda through the use of social protection and interventions to achieve national growth.
Mrs. Oye Lithur disclosed that in partial fulfilment of government’s resolve to cater for the aged, it has initiated the National Ageing Policy with an ageing desk at the Gender ministry to address issues of the elderly.
Moreover, the ministry has submitted a draft ageing bill before parliament for approval. The passage of the bill, she said will see to the establishment of an aged fund which will be used to addressing ageing challenges and create a social safety net for older persons.
For his part, the Upper East Regional
Minister, James Zuugah Tiigah, said the country over last two decades has witnessed a weakening traditional social welfare system as a result of increasing migration and urbanization coupled with modern capitalist economy.
He said notwithstanding, the family will however continue to remain important source of support for the elderly, so it was imperative for the citizenry to strengthen the aged and support their well-being as a form of social and personality responsibility.
He was grateful to the ministry for the
numerous interventions and encouraged the young ones to tap the rich
experiences of the elderly to help shape their lives.
The occasion was used to organise free NHIS registration for the aged.
Beside the registration, the over 2000 elderly present at the event were given assorted gifts including cloth, cooking oil and bag of rice.
Mrs. Oye Lithur and her team later visited the Navrongo Prisons to observe registration of inmates onto the NHIS.
Similar exercises have been conducted for inmates in the Nsawam, Koforidua, Kumasi, Ankaful and Sekondi prisons. More prison inmates are said to benefit from the gesture.
GBC
The occasion was used to organise free NHIS registration for the aged.
Beside the registration, the over 2000 elderly present at the event were given assorted gifts including cloth, cooking oil and bag of rice.
Mrs. Oye Lithur and her team later visited the Navrongo Prisons to observe registration of inmates onto the NHIS.
Similar exercises have been conducted for inmates in the Nsawam, Koforidua, Kumasi, Ankaful and Sekondi prisons. More prison inmates are said to benefit from the gesture.
GBC
No comments:
Post a Comment