SEND Ghana, a non-governmental organization, has begun sensitizing women in the Upper West Region on the opportunities that are available to women and children in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and how they could take advantage of them.   

This sensitization programme has arisen out of the realization that most rural dwellers, especially women, were still ignorant of the benefits of NHIS and their roles and responsibilities in the operation of the schemes.   

At a workshop for women representatives from some communities in the region, at Wa, to kick-start the programme, Mr. Munkaila Adamu, a Programme officer of SEND Ghana, observed that most people did not know that a person could only access heath care as NHIS beneficiary only after three months of registration.  

This guideline, he explained, makes sure that the scheme accrues enough funds for the beneficiary to enjoy free medical care.   

Mr. Adamu said after the waiting period, clients who had not received their identity cards but become are given temporary chits to access free medical care.   

He stated that the new ICT platform had made it possible and easy for ID card bearers to access health care across the country regardless of the scheme one registered with.

DS