The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has registered a total number of about 1,031,307 people in the Northern Region at the end of 2022 with an estimated population of about 2,359,469. That is, achieving about 87.4% of the target set for the region in 2022 translating into increasing by 16% of what was achieved in 2021.
The Northern Regional Director of NHIS, Mr. Issahaque Abdul Latif, said the region has witnessed an increased in its active membership over the past three years.
“In the year 2020, with an estimated population of about 1,811,115 people, and given a target to register and keep active 996,113 people, the region registered 964,800 people, representing 96.9% of the target. In 2021, the target was increased to 1,317,238 with a projected population of 2,310,939 people. The region registered 940,882, representing 71.4 % of the target set.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day Northern Regional End of Year 2022 Performance Review Meeting and Leadership Training on Monday (February 27, 2023) in Tamale, Mr. Abdul Latif said about 423,924 children under eighteen years were registered representing 41.1% and adult members who are not on SSNIT are about 244,352 people representing 23.7% whereas SSNIT Contributors/Formal group were 27, 462, representing 2.7 %.
In addition, SSNIT Pensioners captured were about 2, 404, representing 0.2 % of the total active membership in the region.
Meanwhile, the core poor/indigents captured was about 211,611 representing about 20.5%, pregnant women enrolled were 88,879, representing about 8.6% in the region while the aged or people who are 70+ were 32, 674, representing 3.2% of the active membership.
Mobile Renewal
The NHIS Regional Director disclosed the mobile renewal system has become the main source of renewal avenue for subscribers and thus become one of the ways to measure their performance.
He noted the number of individuals who renew their membership keep increasing from 2020 till now emphasizing over 342,000 people will have had to trope to our offices to renew their membership, but for the introduction of the mobile renewal platform.
The NHIS Director added the “MyNHIS App” introduced last year has also come to boost the enrollment drive, asserting this would make the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage by the year 2030 possible.
Nevertheless, Mr. Abdul Latif lamented the scheme continuous to receive complaints from beneficiaries about co-payments or illegal charges allegedly engaged by some service providers.
He observed some unscrupulous healthcare providers in spite of efforts by management to clampdown on the menace are engaged in all manner of illegal and fraudulent charges of NHIS members and the scheme.
