Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar increases health insurance registration

The Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has improved its internal control systems to enhance the scheme’s sustainability.

“This has brought some appreciable levels of sanity into the operations of the scheme in the district,” Mr. Kafui Kwaku Tulasi, the District Scheme Manager told the GNA in an interview.

He said his outfit had put in place mechanisms that would promote better health care delivery, possibly to meet the aspirations of the people including innovative ways of enhancing membership.

Mr. Tulasi said membership had increased from 12,514 in 2005, the first year of operation, 134,265 clients in 2010 and 165,218 in 2011.

He said 91.42% of people who access health care in the district are insured as against 8.58% who are non-insured.

Mr. Tulasi said the Suhum Office had embarked on a mass registration exercise for new clients and renewal of old cards, education to deepen clients’ knowledge about the NHIS and district-wide monitoring and evaluation of the agents’ performances and retrieving monies due the office.

Mr. Tulasi said one major challenge facing the scheme in the district is lack of permanent office accommodation noting that some staff of the scheme had to struggle for places to sit and work.

He appealed to Ghanaians not to wait until afflicted by diseases before they enroll with the scheme.

“Health insurance is a vital social investment policy in the country and seeks the welfare of the people through the provision of good quality health care,” he said.**