The Bono region has since 2020 maintained its achievement of being the first region to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target since the year 2020 till date, the regional director of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. Joseph Mensah has said.

He explained, "beginning in 2018, the Bono region was the first region to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target since the year 2020 till date."

Mr Mensah, speaking at a media engagement on the celebration of the Scheme’s 20-years anniversary in Sunyani on Friday said, “the subject of enrolling members into the scheme, the Bono regions active membership stands at eighty-three percent) of its annual target (ie 1,151,648 people registered out of a target of 956, 389), as at October 2023.”

Being part of the 20th anniversary programs line-up, Mr Mensah hinted that blood donation exercise was carried out in all the regions, the Bono region was the only region to exceed its target of 150 donors by 2 additional donors.

“Further to the above, in a recent membership enrolment drive dubbed “My NHIS APP storm”, all district offices stormed their markets, streets, and lorry parks, under the supervision of the various regional offices, to assist the general public on how to download and use the My NHIS App. This was well organized, and massively patronized by the public”, the director added.

BACKGROUND

With the passage of the National Health Insurance, Act 650, and LI 1809, all in the year 2003, the National Health Insurance scheme was first rolled out in Ghana 20 years ago (2004) in the form of District-Wide Mutual Health Insurance Schemes to save residents of Ghana from the then existing unpopular Cash-And-Carry System.

For the Cash-And-Carry system was too expensive for the poor people in Ghana to patronize. Even those who could afford could not pay instantly on demand as they may have to spend some time to raise funds for medical attention during emergencies, leading to needless deaths.

“Contrary to the 20 years of existence of the scheme, many of such needless deaths had been, and are still being avoided. It is theretofore an undisputed fact that the scheme had been in a better position to take care of the health needs of residents in Ghana than it used to be during the cash and carry era. In summary, we have been saving the health of our people”, he indicated.

He expressed worry about the continuous co-payment act exhibited by some of the service providers and called on the media, the general public to help in fighting the problem.

Sompaonline.com/Nyarko Abronoma