The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has, from January to July, 2021, registered a total of 32,000 indigents in the Upper West Region to provide them access to free healthcare services.

This has, however, affected the financial performance of the Scheme in the region as it has only been able to mobilise 29 per cent of its annual revenue target for the year.
Mr Samuel Lobber, the Upper West Regional Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), who disclosed this during a press briefing in Wa, expressed the hope that revenues would pick up during the harvesting season.
He said attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was not dependent on the financial mobilisation strength of the regions because government had adopted it as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said their job was to identify and register those indigents to access healthcare and government would reimburse their claims to the healthcare providers.Mr Lobber said the NHIS was showing the way when it came to using technology to address issues and mentioned, particularly, the introduction of the mobile renewal system.
He said the innovation did not only help increase the number of active members of the Scheme but reduced the usual congestion at the various NHIS district offices.
In the advent of COVID-19, the mobile renewal platform has proven to be one of the best strategies any institution dealing with the public can adopt for convenience and also to ensure the safety of its staff as well as the members,” he said.
Mr Lobber hinted of measures being taken to link the NHIS Card to the Ghana Card to give members the opportunity to use both to access healthcare until the NHIS Card was completely phased out.
He, therefore, advised the public to always carry the Ghana Card along when going to register for a new NHIS card or renew an old one, so the staff could link both cards for members.Mr Lobber disclosed that they had provided an option on the *929# mobile renewal platform for members to follow to link their NHIS cards to the Ghana cards in the comfort of their homes.

GNA