West Akim NHIS makes steady progress

More than 6,500 people in the West Akim District in the Eastern Region have been registered in a special exercise conducted by the West Akim District office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).  

Out of the figure,  4,763 were  instantly issued with biometric cards. Those  who did not receive theirs immediately were told to pick them up later.

The registration exercise, which was begun on September 19 , ended on September 25, this year.

The NHIA Scheme Manager for the  West Akim District, Mr Emmanuel Ameyaw, told the Daily Graphic that the special registration exercise was part of a programme embarked on by the authority to capture more people under the new biometric registration scheme.

Registration for the newly introduced biometric cards began in April this year in the Eastern, Central, Greater Accra, and the Ashanti regions.

According to Mr Ameyaw, about 100 communities, including Adeiso, Maame, Dede, Okurase, Asuotwene, Asikasu, Asuaba, Akanteng, Osenase, Quarshie, Ammako, and Kobriso, had been covered in the special exercise.

Regular special registration

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NHIA District Office in the West Akim District, Mr Franklin Otchere, said the special registration exercise would be made a regular feature in the scheme's programme of activities to help it register many more people.

He said the Adeiso and Osenase health centres, as well as the office of the West Akim District office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), were used for the special registration exercise. He commended the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Lower West Akim and Upper West Akim and the Health Directors of both districts ­ for their immense support.

The biometric registration in the district began on April 30, 2014. As at the end of September 2014, there were 24,447 people in the district who had been registered and issued with new national health insurance cards .

According to Mr Otchere, the scheme had also registered 2,554 indigents and other vulnerable people.

In addition, 1,653 pregnant women who still had the old cards have been re-registered and issued with new ones.

Mr Otchere said the registration of the indigent, the aged, pregnant women, and others was ongoing and encouraged all who fall within this category of people to enrol. He hinted that in future, the NHIA would go to churches, mosques, corporate organisations and schools to register people in those places.  

Challenges

Just like the New Juabeng office, also in the Eastern Region, the West Akim office of the NHIS offers a 24-hour service  on all seven days of the week under a shift system. According to Mr Octhere, this was because of the huge numbers of people who thronged the NHIS office daily to be registered.

He identified bad roads in the district as a major hindrance to the outreach programmes but said with the support of stakeholders, including chiefs,  other traditional leaders and assembly members,  the scheme was making progress.