The Acting Upper West Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr. Samuel Lobber Lekamwe, has announced that the Upper West Region has topped all 16 regions in the 2023 National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) population coverage.
According to Mr. Lekamwe, 772,941 people in the Upper West Region, representing 81.9% of the projected population, were covered by the NHIS in 2023, surpassing the 81% coverage recorded in 2022. The region remains the leader in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in membership coverage.
The NHIA’s end-of-year performance review meeting revealed that the Upper West Region achieved 90.3% of its 2023 target, with 772,941 out of the targeted 856,429 individuals covered by the NHIS.
During the meeting held under the theme “Eighty Per cent Population Coverage in All Districts – The New Targeting Metric,” it was disclosed that the Wa Municipality led in district coverage by achieving 97% of its 2023 annual target, followed closely by the Wa East District.
Mr. Lekamwe commended the efforts of the staff in the Wa Municipality and other well-performing districts for contributing to the region’s sustained gains in NHIS coverage. He also highlighted the innovative use of mobile renewals, which accounted for 31% of total membership renewals.
Encouraging the public to utilize the *929# mobile renewal platform and NHIA mobile application, Mr. Lekamwe emphasized the NHIS’s commitment to prioritizing vulnerable groups, with 280,182 such individuals registered in 2023.
Looking ahead to 2024, the region aims to achieve a membership coverage target of 886,005, representing 91.8% of the population. Strategies to achieve this include intensified outreach programs, enhanced public education, and institutional registrations.
However, challenges such as illegal fee charges by accredited health service providers, poor mobile networks affecting registration and renewal, and inadequate vehicles affecting community visitations were noted.
Mr. Titus Sorey, the NHIA Northern Belt Director, commended the Upper West Regional office for its success and pledged support in addressing challenges. He urged NHIA staff to increase public education to empower scheme members to challenge illegal charges and ensure comprehensive coverage.
