The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has rolled out a biometric registration system for the instant issuance of national health insurance identity cards to subscribers. The system, which is currently being piloted in some parts of the country, seeks to eliminate the long time lapse between registration and issuance of the ID cards. Apart from that initiative, the NHIA is also embarking on a mission to improve efficiency in the operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as it undergoes a re-branding after 10 years of implementation. The introduction of the instant ID cards and the pursuit of improved efficiency in the operations of the NHIS constitute the flagship initiatives of the NHIA as it launched activities marking its 10th anniversary at a ceremony in Accra on Wednesday September 19. The NHIS was introduced in 2003, following the passage of the National Health Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650), with the view to providing financial risk-protection against the cost of quality basic health care for Ghanaians. But the implementation of the scheme has been characterised by some problems, in particular delay in the issuance of ID cards which take between three and six months after registration. The implication is that after registration, many of the nine million subscribers currently on the scheme are unable to benefit from it in respect of free access to health care. The biometric registration system for the instant issuance of ID cards, therefore, comes as a big relief to many an NHIS subscriber. Launching the instant NHIS ID card, a Deputy minister of Education, Mr Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa, expressed the hope that it would help improve service delivery to NHIS subscribers. One of the flagship initiatives of the NHIAs 10th anniversary is tlie rebranding of the NHIS with a new logo and a tag line: "NHIS - Your access to health care". After delivering a speech on behalf of the minister, the deputy minister of Health, Dr Tia Alfred Sugri, launched the activities scheduled to commemorate the 10th anniversary and unveiled the new logo of the scheme. In the speech, the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, said looking at the global trend in healthcare financing, the government could be described as a visionary for introducing the NHIS. She said at the moment many African countries were approaching Ghana to learn from the NHIS initiative, adding, "We have a scheme we should protect as a people.” She challenged the NHIA to endeavour to deliver its dual promise of instant issuance of ID cards and improved efficiency in the operations of the scheme. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, suggested the launch of a fundraising campaign to solicit money from individuals and corporate institutions to beef up the financial capacity of the NHIS. He said that would ensure an expansion of the scheme to cover more subscribers and the disease portfolio for free healthcare service. The Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, paid tribute to the architects of the NHIS and all individuals and organisations that had contributed to its success. A number of corporate institutions, including the Rockefeller Foundation (head sponsor), the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, USAID and Access Bank, are sponsoring the activities marking the NHIS 10th anniversary.