The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched an inter-school quiz competition and nationwide sensitisation exercise aimed at deepening Senior High School students’ knowledge of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The initiative was launched on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at Kintampo Senior High School in the Bono East Region, marking the beginning of a nationwide engagement with selected Category A, B and C Senior High Schools.

Spearheaded by the NHIA’s Corporate Affairs Directorate, the programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) under the School Health Education Programme.

Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, said the initiative was designed to equip young people with practical knowledge of the NHIS and enable them to become health-literate advocates in their homes and communities.

He said the programme would expose students to key aspects of the Scheme, including its policies, operations, benefits, digital services and the responsibilities of beneficiaries.

Students will also receive information on healthcare services covered under the NHIS, primary healthcare, exemption policies and the various categories of beneficiaries who qualify for exemptions.

Dr Bampoe urged students to actively participate in the programme and use the knowledge acquired to promote greater understanding of the NHIS among their families and communities.

48 schools to participate

The Director of Corporate Affairs at the NHIA, Mr Oswald Essuah-Mensah, said three schools from each of Ghana’s 16 regions would participate in the competition.

This will bring the total number of participating schools to 48 nationwide.

He said the competition would combine learning, interaction and healthy competition while giving students a deeper understanding of the NHIS and its operations.

The nationwide sensitisation exercise is also expected to prepare participating schools for the quiz through interactive question-and-answer sessions and mock quiz rounds.

Through these engagements, each participating school will form a three-member team to represent it in the competition.

Focus on NHIS digital services and benefits

Key areas to be covered during the sensitisation exercise include NHIS operations, digital registration through the MyNHIS App and mobile membership renewal using *929#.

Students will also be taken through the NHIS Benefit Package, medical services covered under the Scheme, primary healthcare and the various beneficiary exemption categories.

The exercise is intended to ensure that students understand not only how the NHIS operates but also how they can access and make use of its services.

Bono and Bono East lead first phase

Following the launch, a sensitisation team led by the Client Services Manager, Dr Ruth Kukua Ntumy Coleman, began the first phase of the nationwide exercise.

The initial phase covered five schools in the Bono and Bono East regions: Our Lady Providence Girls SHS, Koase Senior High School, Akumfi Ameyaw SHS, Kintampo SHS and Techiman SHS.

The exercise will continue in the Ahafo Region on Wednesday, September 30, with visits to OLA Girls SHS, Serwaa Kese SHS and Presbyterian SHS.

Selected schools in the Ashanti Region will subsequently be engaged on Friday, October 2.

The phased approach is expected to give students across the participating schools an opportunity to interact directly with NHIA officials and clarify questions about the Scheme.

Competition to culminate in national finale

The inter-school quiz will progress through regional contests and inter-zonal rounds before culminating in a national grand finale and awards ceremony on November 26, 2026.