More than 900 vulnerable residents in the Upper West Region, including students severely affected by recent natural disasters, have received free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registrations and renewals through a joint medical outreach by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) and the NHIS.

The intervention, which covered Kamahegu in the Daffiama Bussie Issa (DBI) District and Jirapa Senior High School in the Jirapa Municipality, forms part of the PSGH’s 90th-anniversary celebrations under the theme, “Science, Impact, Legacy.”

At Jirapa Senior High School, the exercise provided critical support to students who lost their NHIS cards and personal belongings in a recent rainstorm and a severe fire outbreak that gutted six boys’ dormitory rooms.

The Headteacher of Jirapa Senior High School, Abdul Mumuni Adams, expressed profound gratitude for the gesture, emphasising the financial relief it would provide as the school recovers from the two disasters.

“It is not a bowl of gari, but with this gesture, it is more than a million Ghana cedis. It will help us and shy away the possibility of being asked to put money down before our students are treated at the hospital,” Mr Adams said.

In Kamahegu, a rural farming community that routinely faces geographical and financial barriers to healthcare, the exercise provided dozens of free new registrations and NHIS card renewals.

The District Manager of the NHIS, Nasiru Abass, revealed that logistical constraints had prevented his team from visiting the community for nearly three months, making the PSGH partnership particularly timely.

A teacher at Kamahegu, Majeed Gafaru, corroborated this situation, noting that the high cost of travelling to the district capital had previously left many vulnerable residents without active NHIS coverage.

The Regional Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Dr Maxwell Mwinzumah, said the initiative was designed to complement the government’s Free Primary Health Care policy.

He stressed that no one should be denied healthcare because of cost, adding that active NHIS cards enable vulnerable people to access higher-level medical facilities when they are referred from local Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds.

Beyond the insurance registrations and renewals, the medical team provided free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and malaria. Suspected cases of hypertension were referred to local health facilities for further monitoring and care.

Dr Mwinzumah, who is also the Director of University Health Services at SDD-UBIDS, used the opportunity to caution the public, particularly young people, against lifestyle choices that could lead to chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

He linked the reported rise in acute kidney injuries among teenagers to the inappropriate use and abuse of painkillers, and warned students against skipping meals, which he said could contribute to severe peptic ulcer disease.

“If you consume painkillers anyhow, know that the side effect is chronic kidney issues. By the time it occurs, you will have forgotten what you did and start blaming a witch,” Dr Mwinzumah said.

He also advised residents to reduce their salt intake significantly to help prevent hypertension, which he described as a “silent killer”.

To help beneficiaries understand the changing healthcare system, the Regional Operations Officer of the NHIS, Lily Yendaw, educated participants on a proposed three-tier healthcare framework aimed at reducing financial barriers to treatment.

She explained that patients would first access free primary healthcare at CHPS compounds and health centres.

Where a patient's condition requires further treatment, the active NHIS card would be used to access services at major hospitals.

For severe and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that fall outside standard NHIS coverage, she introduced the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as “Mahama Care”, which is intended to cover specific high-cost treatments.

Following the outreach exercises in Kamahegu and Jirapa, the PSGH and NHIS leadership, including Chief Pharmacist Dr Chum, announced plans for a special follow-up mission to address similar healthcare access challenges in the Wa East District.