The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in the Upper East Region has intensified its regional membership drive as part of efforts to increase enrollment onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and promote universal healthcare access across the region.
The exercise, which is being carried out simultaneously in various districts and municipalities, forms part of a broader national strategy by the NHIA to expand active membership coverage through community outreach and the implementation of the government’s primary healthcare agenda.
Speaking during the ongoing campaign, the Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer and Manager of the NHIA, Mr. Alhassan Abubakari Suwaidu, disclosed that the Authority has divided the region into operational zones to ensure effective and wider coverage of communities.
According to him, the exercise is being undertaken through three main operational zones — the Central zone, Western zone, and Eastern zone — all tasked with moving into communities, markets, health facilities, and business centers to register and renew members onto the NHIS.
“We have the Central zone, the West zone, and the Eastern zone, all working simultaneously across the region to ensure that more people are registered onto the scheme,” he explained.
Mr. Suwaidu indicated that the campaign has already covered several major towns and municipalities including Navrongo, Zebilla, and Bawku, where officials have been engaging residents and helping them register onto the NHIS.
“So far, today, the exercise started from the Navrongo area through Zebilla and continued to Bawku. The whole idea is to bring the services closer to the people and make healthcare access easier for everyone,” he stated.
He emphasized that the NHIA is deliberately using the government’s primary healthcare initiative as a strategic tool to drive membership enrollment and improve access to healthcare services for citizens.
According to him, the Authority recognizes that healthcare accessibility begins with active NHIS membership, which is why the current outreach campaign is focused on reaching people directly within their communities and workplaces.
“We are using the primary healthcare policy as a deliberate strategy to register and enroll more people onto the scheme because healthcare access becomes easier when people have active NHIS cards,” he said.
Mr. Suwaidu further called on corporate organizations, institutions, business owners, philanthropists, and individuals to support the membership drive by sponsoring NHIS registrations for vulnerable persons and people who may not be financially capable of enrolling themselves.
He noted that collective support from institutions and community leaders would significantly help the Authority achieve its target of universal health coverage in the region.
“We are encouraging individuals, institutions, and big businesses to support the exercise by helping more people to register onto the NHIS so that nobody is left out when it comes to healthcare delivery,” he added.
The NHIA Regional PRO explained that under the Authority’s new enrollment strategy, access to healthcare services is being made more flexible and convenient for citizens.
He disclosed that people can now easily visit healthcare facilities with either their Ghana Card or active NHIS membership details to receive healthcare services without unnecessary stress.
“When you go to the clinic or hospital with your Ghana Card or health insurance details, healthcare delivery becomes smoother and easier for patients,” he explained.
Mr. Suwaidu reiterated the Authority’s commitment to ensuring that every resident in the Upper East Region has access to affordable and quality healthcare services through active participation in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
He therefore urged residents who have not yet registered, as well as those whose cards have expired, to take advantage of the ongoing free registration and renewal exercise currently being rolled out across the region.
The NHIA’s intensified membership drive is expected to continue in more communities within the Upper East Region as the Authority works towards increasing active coverage and supporting government’s vision of achieving universal healthcare access for all Ghanaians.
Source: BlueWaves Radio | Maurice Duncan | Bolgatanga
