Residents of Banda in the Bono Region who once spent more than three days trying to obtain or renew their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards can now access the services closer to home following the inauguration of a new district office complex.
For years, residents of Banda and its adjoining communities have had to travel about four hours to Nsawkaw in the Tain District to access NHIS services, a situation that made registration and membership card renewal difficult.
The new office is expected to ease the difficulties residents face in accessing NHIS services, following Banda’s transition from being served by the Tain District office to operating its own district office.
Additionally, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) provided a brand-new vehicle to support the operations of the NHIS office and improve access to services across the district.
MP's support
The facility was constructed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda and the Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ahmed Ibrahim, using his four-year allocation from the MP Health Insurance Fund.
The facility
At the inauguration last Thursday, Mr Ibrahim said some residents previously spent more than three days trying to obtain or renew their NHIS cards, underscoring the need to bring the services closer to them.
To facilitate outreach to rural communities, he donated two motorbikes to the office to enable officers to reach more residents and improve service delivery.
Mr Ibrahim added that the fund had also supported the construction of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds across the district.
He said plans were far advanced to construct accommodation for NHIS staff and other government workers to make the district more attractive to public servants.
Commitment
Mr Ibrahim said he remained committed to using available funds judiciously to promote development in the district, particularly in education, security and agriculture.
He appealed to chiefs and residents, especially the youth, to protect the facility and support the officers to increase membership.
“I have vowed to work to improve development of the district,” he said.
Membership drive
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, said the authority would continue to support officers at the new office to improve service delivery.
He commended Mr Ibrahim for providing the facility and continuing to support the scheme.
Dr Bampoe urged the officers to intensify efforts to increase membership to enable more residents to benefit from universal health coverage and the free primary health care.
Remote communities
The Banda District Chief Executive (DCE), Peter Dongi, said the Assembly had been providing resources and logistics to support NHIS officers to conduct registration exercises across the district.
He disclosed that officers had already embarked on registration drives in remote communities before the inauguration of the new office.
Mr Dongi expressed the hope that the new facility, vehicle and motorbikes would enable officers to extend outreach to more communities and increase membership of the scheme.
“We will give you surprise data by the end of the year,” he said, expressing optimism about the outcome of the registration exercises.
Assurance
The Bono Regional Manager of the NHIA, Isaac Amponsah Badu, assured residents that the new office, with support from the regional office, would contribute to efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
Mr Badu urged the staff to maintain the facility properly and serve members with courtesy, integrity and efficiency.
For his part, the acting President of the Banda Traditional Area, Pe Aboatea, commended Mr Ibrahim for his commitment to improving access to health insurance services and other social amenities in the district.
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