Gender Ministry registers 250,000 children under NHIS nationwide

The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection has registered 250, 000 children in the country to benefit from the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, the sector Minister, who announced this said more children would be registered to make quality healthcare accessible to them.

She was speaking at a durbar to climax the celebration of the Healthy District Campaign, at Dormaa- Ahenkro in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

It was organised by the Dormaa Municipal Health Directorate in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly and the Dormaa Traditional Council.

The objective of the month-long campaign was to improve and mobilise support for child health and survival activities in the Municipality.

Madam Djaba pleaded with parents and all stakeholders to make child health and well-being of children a priority.

"The Ministry would keep working with the mandate that has been given to it to partner with the NHIS to use the Ghana School Feeding Programme as a vehicle to register children for the Scheme", she said.

The sector Minister expressed government's determination to improve the Scheme to meet the needs of Ghanaians and to guarantee productive human resource base for the country's future through child health care.

She observed that inspite of the drastic decline in child mortality rate in the country, and successes achieved in the campaign against poliomyelitis, there was still the urgent need to push forward to make child health issues utmost importance.

"It's estimated that 11 million children in developing countries die before age five mostly from preventable diseases. Child health is not only a right but a key indicator of a nation's development", Madam Djaba added.

"I'm told in Brong Ahafo Region, the regional average rate of under-five mortality is 12.5 deaths per 1000 live births. In Dormaa Municipality there's 25 per 200 live births. For antenatal coverage, the Municipality recorded 56.5 per cent compared to the regional average of 81.9 per cent", she said.

Madam Djaba noted that the average immunisation coverage for last three years in the Municipality recorded 76.6 per cent as compared to the national target of 90 per cent.

She commended the Municipal Health Directorate for their innovativeness, tenacity and proactiveness in advocating ways to ensure that hospitals in the area are well equipped to provide quality care.

Madam ADjaba called for a shared responsibility among stakeholders to ensuring the proper upbringing and development of children.