Parliament approves formula for DACF, GETFund

Page 17, March 30, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT has approved the formula for the distribution of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for this year.
A total of GH¢ 236,197,500 allocated in the 2008 budget for the DACF was approved by the House after it had satisfied itself with the proposed formula for the sharing of the fund by the district assemblies.
The amount represent 7.5 per cent of the total national revenue meant to be paid statutorily into the DACF.
The percentage is an increase on the five per cent that had been paid into the DACF since the inception of the fund.
The formula for the distribution of the DACF is based on need , responsiveness, service pressure, equity and sanitation factors.
For the GETFund, a total of GH¢ 163,025,000 was allocated. The current formula took into account the priority needs highlighted in the current Education Strategic Plan and the Education Sector Reforms.
Under the formula Academic for tertiary education, Facilities and Infrastructure had 12.3 per cent, Scholarship Secretariat, 3.1 per cent, Students’ Loan Trust, 4.9 per cent, Faculty Development and Research, 1.8 per cent, Special Support for Medical Studies, 1.8 per cent, Special Support for Telecom University, 1.2 per cent, Open Universities, 1.2 per cent and Colleges of Education, 5 per cent.
A total of GH¢ 31,323 million, representing 19.2 per cent, has been allocated for secondary education contingencies, which include MPs Emergency Projects and other emergencies had GH¢3,450,000 representing 2.1 per cent.
Meanwhile, the formula for the distribution of subsidies to be paid to Licensed District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes for 2008 has also been approved by the House.
The National Health Insurance Fund is expected to realise GH¢ 2345,420,000????? based on projections of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for 2008.
This is an increase of 33.83 per cent over the previous year’s budgetary allocation of GH¢179,911,000.
The registration target of 65 per cent has been set for 2008 by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) while it projects to operate 148 schemes within the year.
The NHIA is also to increase the subsidy per person from GH¢ 12.00 to GH¢ 14.00 as a result of the rising medical bills submitted by service provides and the Review Medicine List and Tarrif Structure.
The report of the Committee of the Whole of Parliament, which deliberated on the issue noted that at the close of 2007, GH¢153,809,624.54 which remained in under the NHIS yielded GH¢23,960,000.
The committee recommended that the National Health Insurance Law should be amended to include the mentally ill as indigents while children under 18 be made to register unconditionally to become members of the scheme.