Mr. Samuel Lobber Lekamwe, the Acting Upper West Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), announced that the Upper West Region has surpassed all other regions in the country in terms of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) population coverage for the year 2023.
According to Mr. Lekamwe, the region achieved coverage of 772,941 people, which represents 81.9% of the projected population of 943,448 for the region. This marks an improvement from the 81% coverage recorded in the previous year.
The region also emerged as the leading region in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) membership coverage, achieving 90.3% of its target for 2023.
During the NHIA's 2023 end-of-year performance review meeting in Wa, Mr. Lekamwe commended the efforts of the staff in the Wa Municipality and other high-performing districts for contributing to the region's success in NHIS coverage.
He highlighted the importance of innovative approaches such as mobile renewals, which accounted for 31% of total membership renewals, in reaching more members.
Mr. Lekamwe encouraged the public to utilize mobile renewal platforms and the NHIA mobile application for registration and renewal, emphasizing that the NHIS prioritizes vulnerable groups by ensuring their registration for free.
Looking ahead to 2024, the region aims to achieve a membership coverage of 886,005, representing 91.8% of the region's population. Strategies for achieving this target include intensifying outreach programs, enhancing public education, and improving institutional registrations.
Despite the region's success, challenges such as illegal fee charges by accredited health service providers, poor mobile networks affecting registration and renewal, and inadequate transportation infrastructure persist.
Mr. Titus Sorey, the NHIA Northern Belt Director, commended the Upper West Regional office for its achievements and assured support in addressing challenges. He urged staff to increase public education to empower members to challenge illegal charges and understand NHIS coverage comprehensively.
