NHIS mass registration exercise in G Accra

Accra, Nov. 4, GNA - A two-week mass registration exercise to offer an opportunity to people who have not registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would begin in the Greater Accra Region this month.

The exercise, scheduled from November 7 to November 20, would have 1,500 registration points in the Region with adverts, banners and posters in all communities showing locations of the nearest registration point.

Ms Gloria Akuffo, Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, addressing a the press on Friday said though the scheme had started in the Region and benefits were being reaped by beneficiaries, response to total registration had been very low.

She said out of the estimated 25 per cent target of people to be registered in the Region, only two per cent coverage had been attained as at June 30, this year.

Ms Akuffo attributed the low patronage to low education on the location of registration centres and the benefits of the scheme and, therefore, the mass registration exercise would bridge all such gaps. She explained that each household member registered would pay 10,000 cedis to cover the administration and cost of processing the unique identity card, while each person should bring along two recent passport size photograph and an identification of age for children under 18 years and the aged.

The Deputy Minister explained that SSNIT contributors as well as SSNIT pensioners would not pay any fee apart from the registration fee, while Non-SSNIT contributors would pay minimum annual premium of 72,000 cedis for each adult.

"It must be noted that though children under 18 years of age as well as persons over 70 years of age are not required to pay a premium, they still must be registered to earn them an ID card to be able to access better health care," she said. Ms Akuffo urged the public to pay attention to announcements and directives in respect of the registration centres and procedures to help to make the scheme a success.