NHIA Partners UNICEF To Register Victims Of The Akosombo Dam Spillage Disaster

THE NATIONAL HEALTH Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), is undertaking registration exercise for the victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage. The NHIA-UNICEF flood victims registration exercise is targeted at non-members of the NHIS, expired membership, and those whose cards were swept away by the floods. 

The exercise is expected to benefit about 48,000 victims in North Tongu, South Tongu, Central Tongu, South Dayi, Kpando, Keta and Ketu South Districts in the Volta Region and it is intended to restore access to quality healthcare for the affected victims. 

On Thursday, 11th January 2024, a team from NHIA, UNICEF, USAID and WFP visited registration centres in the North and South Tongu Districts. 

The NHIA team comprised the Director of Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Mr. Oti Frimpong, Director of Administration, Mr. Raymond Avinu, Director of Corporate Affairs Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah, the Volta Regional Director, Mr. Joseph Homenya and Mr. Christian Ashiagbor, a Senior Manager at the MRO Directorate. 

The USAID team were made up of Maureen Malave, the team lead for Nutrition and Social Protection and Rasheena Reid, Director of Education. UNICEF was also represented by Mr. Robert Osei Tutu, the programme specialist, social protection.

At the Agbetikpo registration centre in the North Tongu District, the team interacted with the victims who were participating in the exercise. 

They expressed their sympathies for the victims and underscored the intention and importance of the exercise and urged them to collaborate with the registration officers for a successful exercise. 

On their part, the victims expressed their appreciation and gratitude to NHIA, UNICEF, USAID, WFP and the Government for their interventions and support. 

At the registration centre in the South Tongu District, the team interacted with an enthusiastic crowd who expressed joy and gratitude to the NHIA team for such a human-centered intervention. 

The team after interacting with the victims, presented in turns the cards that were printed for the new members. The cards were presented by the Directors of the various departments of the Authority. 

Engaging the members at the registration sites, Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah said the exercise of renewing and replacing lost NHIS Cards will enable victims to access healthcare as a result of the health threats posed by the floods. 

In an interview with West FM, the Volta Regional PRO of the NHIA, Mr. Bright Kwame Nyatsikor, indicated that the ongoing registration exercise which commenced in December 2023 targeted about 48,000 flood victims in six districts in the region. 

He said as at the time of the interview, about 30,000 people had been registered by the NHIA Volta region team.