By: Isaac Darko Boamah
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), through its Client Relations for Universal Health Coverage (PCR4UHC) Market/Community Durbar campaign has boosted the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrolment numbers.
The Corporate Affairs Directorate’s Provider and Clients Relations Unit embarked on a 10-day mass membership mobilization outreach programme and enrolled additional ten thousand, three-hundred and seventy-two (10, 372) more people in the Volta Region.
The Corporate Affairs Acting Director, Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah, Provider and Clients Relations Unit Head, Acting Deputy Director, Hamdiya Amadu Yakubu, and the NHIA Volta Regional Acting Director, Susan Chobbah led the campaign.
The frontline staff visited Kpando, Mafi-Kumasi, Aflao-Denu, Akatsi, Dzodze, Ho, Hohoe, Keta, Anfoega, Agbozome and Woedaba and delivered on-site registrations, membership renewals, card replacements and health screening exercises.
Community leaders and credentialled healthcare service providers supported the campaign, which was climaxed at the Anfoega Catholic Hospital in the North Dayi district, on April 10, 2026.
The NHIA staff including Sabastian Edem Quarshie, North Dayi District Manager, Judge Opoku Sarkodie, Isaac Boamah-Darko, Akyaa Adriana Afriyie, Juliet Asamoah and Hadassah Seli Agbenyo, the District Chief Executive, Hon. Ernest Adevor, the North Dayi Member of Parliament’s representative, the District Police Commander, ASP Kofi Ababio Owusu, and the Anfoega Catholic Hospital management, led by Nursing Manager Francisca Osei Adjei attended the grand community durbar, where Rev. Fr. Yohanes Adjei officiated the church-led welcome.
During a technical session with hospital administrators, the Acting Deputy Director, Hamdiya Amadu Yakubu highlighted the strategic importance of the Volta Region in the PCR4UHC circuit and secured the facility’s pledge of continued cooperation.
The durbar provided an avenue for community education, with Akyaa Adriana Afriyie leading public sensitization on the NHIS Benefit Package, importance of being an active member and visiting credentialled facilities for healthcare.
The durbar included interactive elements — a quiz on NHIS knowledge with NHIA-branded prizes for winners — and provided immediate services: registrations, renewals and basic health screenings conducted on site.
The NHIA staff addressed operational concerns and demonstrated digital services designed to improve member convenience. Afriyie showcased the *929# USSD short code for instant renewals, while Manager Isaac Boamah-Darko gave a live tutorial on the NHIS mobile app during a public question-and-answer session.
A key focus of the engagement was tackling unauthorized out-of-pocket payments and the NHIA staff urged facilities management to clearly communicate which medications and services are covered and to stop imposing illegal charges on members.
The NHIS members were advised to keep receipts for any unauthorized payments as evidence when filing formal complaints; the NHIA reiterated its readiness to investigate and prosecute facilities found to be engaged in illegal billing soon.
Officials also reassured stakeholders about the scheme’s claims management, saying settlements have been consistent and that delays are often linked to facility-level credentialing or administrative issues rather than lack of funds. The NHIA warned it would hold errant providers accountable to safeguard member benefits.
The PCR4UHC Market/Community Durbar initiative forms part of NHIA CEO Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe’s broader strategy to expand the NHIS database and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage. By combining on-the-ground registration drives with provider engagement and public education, the NHIA says it intends to sustain momentum toward comprehensive, accessible healthcare for residents of the Volta Region and beyond.
