131,197 people have so registered with the Nkoranza Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (NMHIS) within a period of two years. Stastically, up to 63,112 joined the scheme in 2005 with the number of registered members for the year 2006 being 68,085.
The board chairman of NMHIS, Mr. Evans Osie Kwame disclosed this in an interaction with Classic News. According to him the slight increase in registration could be attributed to the intensification of the membership drive campaing. He said even though authorities have put in place enough meassures to get to hard to reach communities in the district there has been great improvement looking the number of education activities carried out so far.
The board chairman made a passionate ppeal to chiefs and other opinion leaders in the district to encourage their subjects on the need to join the schme, adding that the benefits associated with it cannot be over emphasized. Mr. Osei Kwame noted that the National Health Isurance Scheme (NHIS) has come at the right time because some years past the vulnerable in the country were not at the position to afford health delivery. According to him the health initiative has come at a time that Ghanainas were yearning for it. He stated emphatically that with 12 helth providers for the NMHIS with one reliable pharmaceautical shop authorities manning it will surely make great impact.
The board chairman told Classic News that at the time that NMHIS was using only ID card impersonation was very high. This therefore made it necessary for the executive members to add facility attendence card. It was to check impersonation and abuse of the scheme by beneficiares. Mr. Osei Kwame reiterated that, looking at the nature of settlements in Nkoranza district, it has necessary for NMHIS to use household registration. According to him, this meachanism is working as required and urged new comers to stick to the gate keeping system because it is the best tool to monitor the scheme.
It was established that one thing which is militating against the scheme is the failure of most insurance companies operating in the area to follow their contructural agreement with their cusatomers who are at the same time beneficiaries of the NMHIS.
He explained that when ever there is an accident, affected parties rushed to the hospital with their insurance card with the medical bills absorbed by the NMHIS leaving behind the insurance company. Mr. Osei Kwame said for sanity to previal authorities had already reported the case to the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC) for a possible solution.
