A total of 25,000 elderly persons in fifty districts across the country have been shortlisted to be enrolled onto the Eban Elderly Welfare Program in the middle of July, 2015, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, has announced.
Out of the above mentioned figure, 400 persons above the age of 65years would be registered in each beneficiary district.
Five districts in each of the ten regions would be covered for the program, according to the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister.
“The Government of Ghana budget is supporting the registration of 25,000 elderly persons across fifty districts in the country. We are going to start in about three weeks time where we are going to issue them with the Eban Cards,” she said when addressing Members of Parliament (MPs) over the support for the Eban Elderly Welfare Program Thursday.
Her remarks was in response to a question asked by the MP for Oforikrom, Ms. Elizabeth Agyeman who sought to inquire from the Minister how much the Ministry has received from foreign donors to tackle social problems including the ‘Kayayei’ phenomenon between 2010 and 2014.
Continuing, Nana Oye Lithur said bearers of the Eban Cards would be given a 50% rebate on transport fares for those who patronize the services of the Metro Mass Transport buses.
She told a half-packed Parliament that her outfit is also in discussions with the GPRTU and three other private transport unions for a rebate on private transport.
“We have, this year, engaged the GPRTU and three other transport unions and they are working out a rebate percentage for transport fares across the country for elderly persons above 65 years,” she noted.
In 2014, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provided a total amount of GH₵20,240.00 to support the implementation of the Eban Elderly Welfare Program which consists of creation of database of the elderly and the social protection intervention of providing 50% rebate in fares for those who use the services of the Metro Mass Transport buses.
Mrs. Lithur, commenting further, told the House that her outfit has successfully conducted a pilot exercise on the project where they have registered and issued 1,016 cards in some districts in the Greater Accra and Central Regions.
That notwithstanding, she said the Ministry is also registering the elderly for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“Mr. Speaker, just Wednesday, June 24, 2015, we registered 500 elderly persons in the Keta Municipality. Last year, we registered 3,550 and will continue this year. We will be in the Ashanti Region in two weeks time,” she narrated.
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
