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| Roland Agana Ayine (Bolga Municipal scheme Manager |
Bolgatanga Municipal Office
of the National Health Insurance for the year 2016 recorded 88% percent of the
estimated target population of One hundred and twenty-four thousand 557.
Management has attributed the success story to the migration of the manual
registration system to biometric system in 2014.
The National Health Insurance
Scheme, NHIS, was introduced to alleviate the plight of Ghanaians and the difficulties
involved in accessing health care.
Primarily, the scheme was brought on
board to replace the cash and carry system that
characterized the country’s health facilities.
Since the inception of the NHIS Act,
Act 650 of 2003, the scheme operated under a manual registration process where
subscribers were issued with ordinary identity cards to access basic health
care.
In 2014, when the NHIS was fully implemented, it migrated from manual to
the biometric system which required registrants to register biometrically using
a simple database. Since the process
required the thumb print of prospective subscribers, it created a bit of congestion
at some scheme offices.
The situation is often compounded by link failure. Management
of the scheme has resolved to address the challenge by introducing the shift
system to cater for the high number of people that troop to the main office to
register.
In an interview with radio Ghana in Bolgatanga in the Upper East
Region, the Municipal Scheme Manager Roland Agana Ayine gave the breakdown of
the 2016 performance targets and what management intend to do in 2017.
He explained
that the 2016 estimated populations of Bolgatanga Municipality stood at One
hundred and fourth One thousand three hundred and 10, and as at the end of the
year 2016, their active membership came up to One hundred and twenty four
thousand five hundred and 57.
In percentage term, they have covered 88% in
terms of active membership. Mr Ayine again said, their yearly target from
January to December 2016 of One hundred and eighteen thousand seven hundred and
1, as at the end of December, 2016 management had recorded One hundred and
sixteen thousand six hundred and 43 representing 98% of their yearly target.
According
to the scheme manager, management of the Bolagtanga Municipal Health Insurance
in tend to embark on registering all
children under the school feeding programme, community registration and to
continue the shift system introduced where some staff come to work at night order
improve upon their performances in 2017.
Regarding the premium fee required by
each group of subscribers to pay before registering and for the renewals processes,
Mr Ayine gave the breakdown as the
formal sector or SSINT contributor, under 18 and the aged with valued number, required
GHC 8 for registration and GHC 5 for renewal.
That of the informal sector, GHC
25 is required for fresh registration and GHC 22 for renewal. But an informal
subscriber with a valid number, registration required GHC 8 and GHC 5 for
renewal respectively. Pregnant women, he
said were exempted.
Mr Ayine indicated that since the inception of the NHIS in
2003, 2004, it has under gone a lot of changes.
The biometric registration
required the thumb print of everyone but as of now, enough data of subscribers
have captured and one member of a household can renew for a whole family
members with the requisite fee.
He was optimistic that with the support of
staff, backed by prudent managerial skill the 2017 targets were going to be
achieved on schedule.
