Bolgatanga SHS wins NHIS quiz

Bolgatanga Senior High School (BIG BOSS) in the Upper East Region on Sunday emerged winners in the finals of the ‘What Do You Know’ Quiz on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

They beat three other participating schools to become champions of the 2016 edition of the NHIS Quiz Competition.

The school put forth a forceful performance as they shrugged off competition from their rivals right from the opening round of the game till the end. The contest, hosted by quiz master Dan Afari-Yeboah was not without excitement as the schools at some point came neck to neck leaving the audience sitting on the edge.

Bolga SHS scored 42 points ahead of its closest contender, St Francis of Assise Girls Senior High School, who placed second with 33 points. Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School placed third with 30 points while the Oti Senior High School took the fourth position with 28 points.

The competition started with 40 second cycle institutions across the country.

The schools were jointly selected by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the NHIA. Winners from each of the ten regions of the country were grouped into the northern and southern zones. Two winners each from the zonal competitions qualified to the national final hosted on GBC’s “What Do You Know” platform.

The winner received a trophy and will benefit from a health and sanitation project valued at ten thousand Ghana cedis sponsored by the NHIA. Each of the finalist schools got a TV set, cash prizes and exercise books.

Deputy Chief Executive of the NHIA, Alex Odoi Nartey, told journalists at the event that the quiz competition is just one of the many ways the NHIA is employing to educate the public on the basics of the scheme.

“The quiz competition which normally starts at the regional level through to the zonals and ends in the grand finale as we have witnessed today is one of the innovative ways the NHIA is using to reach the populace and to educate the general public especially the younger generation on the NHIS. As you saw during the competition, the students studied widely on the basics of the NHIS and discharged themselves creditably,” Mr Nartey said.

He congratulated all the schools while applauding the winner for emerging tops.

The NHIS has about 11.3 million members and is a social intervention program which provides financial risk protection against out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure for all residents in Ghana. The scheme is currently operational in all parts of the country.