The Bolgatanga Municipal Directorate of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) on Friday, May 22, 2026, embarked on a massive outreach exercise across major market centres and lorry stations within the municipality to register and renew residents onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The exercise, which forms part of efforts by the NHIA to increase active membership and improve access to healthcare services, saw officials move from one market and transport terminal to another to register traders, drivers, passengers, and other members of the public.
The outreach team was joined by Madam Blandina Martin Awiah Norman, Deputy Director for Membership and Regional Operations Manager of the NHIA, who interacted with residents and educated them on the importance of enrolling onto the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Speaking during the exercise, Madam Blandina described the initiative as an important policy implementation strategy aimed at supporting the government’s primary healthcare agenda introduced by President John Dramani Mahama.
According to her, the primary healthcare policy seeks to make healthcare more accessible to Ghanaians, particularly at the community level, by focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, and early treatment.
She explained that although primary healthcare services are being expanded, active NHIS membership remains essential, especially when patients are referred to higher-level health facilities for advanced medical attention.
“This is a very important policy implementation because the government wants every Ghanaian to have easy access to healthcare. The NHIA is therefore using this exercise to reach out directly to the people and ensure that nobody is left out of the healthcare system,” she stated.
Madam Blandina further disclosed that the NHIA is targeting 80 percent population coverage this year as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage in Ghana.
She noted that the ongoing registration campaign, which started on March 15 and is expected to run for six weeks, is designed to remove barriers preventing citizens from enrolling onto the scheme.
According to her, new registrations, renewal of expired cards, and replacement of lost NHIS cards are all being done free of charge during the exercise.
“The registration is free, replacement of lost cards is free, and people whose cards have expired are also being assisted free of charge. We do not want financial difficulties or missing cards to prevent anyone from accessing healthcare,” she emphasized.
She therefore encouraged residents, especially traders, commercial drivers, and people working in busy public places, to take advantage of the exercise to register and renew their cards.
Many residents who benefited from the exercise expressed appreciation to the NHIA for bringing the registration services directly to the markets and lorry stations, describing the initiative as convenient and helpful.
The Bolgatanga Municipal NHIA outreach forms part of a broader nationwide campaign aimed at increasing awareness and improving active membership of the National Health Insurance Scheme while supporting the government’s vision of accessible and affordable healthcare for all Ghanaians.
Source: BlueWaves Radio 93.7FM | Maurice Duncan | Bolgatanga
