An official of the Agona Swedru branch of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Mrs Elizabeth Esi Jehu-Appiah has appealed to pensioners who are above 72 years to contact the trust to renew their pension.
    
She said the decision was aimed at giving the pensioners a ‘life certificate’ to continue to draw their monthly benefits.
    
Mrs Jehu-Appiah, who made the appeal at the inauguration of the Awutu-Senya District branch of the National Pensioners Association (NPA) at Awutu-Bawjiase warned that those who fail to comply would no longer receive their pension.
     
“The Life Certificate introduced by SSNIT was to afford pensioners the right to continue to enjoy the monthly pay benefits till they die,” she explained.
    
Mrs Jehu-Appiah praised SSNIT pensioners in the area for coming together to form a branch of the association, and expressed the hope that they
would encourage their colleagues to join the body.

The Central Regional Vice Chairman of NPA, Mr G.N. Ghunney urged members to constitute themselves into community advisory groups, to educate the youth about the dangers of emulating foreign values and cultures blindly.

He said some of the foreign ways of life had woefully contributed to the moral decay among the youth.

Mr Ghunney advised pensioners to adopt healthy lifestyles like physical exercises and eating of fruits.

They must also register with the National Health Insurance Scheme in order to access free medical care.

A former District Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Kwashie Abban-Quaye charged pensioners to come out with ideas to reform the pension scheme and facilitate efforts of building a better Ghana.
   
The Chairman of the newly-inaugurated branch of the association, Mr C.K. Okine pledged the determination of members to mobilize all available manpower and other resources within their reach to promote the aims and objectives of the NPA.

He called for the maximum co-operation of members to ensure the successful administration of the association.

GNA
AA