The Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a gender-focused non-governmental organisation, has urged vulnerable people particularly widows, orphans, and disadvantaged groups to enroll onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

This would help reduce the financial burden on them in accessing health care in the country.

The organisation made the call when it sensitised women leaders and assembly members at Pusu-Namongo in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region on the benefits package of the NHIS.

Organised in partnership with ActionAid Ghana, the sensitisation aimed at equipping the participants with  requisite knowledge about NHIS coverage to guide them in accessing health care while empowering them to take advantage of the exemptions on the NHIS for vulnerable persons in their communities.

The Project Officer at WOM, Nancy Awinbisa Amiziah, noted that even though there were exemptions on the NHIS for some vulnerable categories of persons, including persons with disabilities, indigenes, and persons over 70 years old, these people were not taking advantage of such benefits for the lack of knowledge.

“While we encourage our women and other vulnerable groups to enroll on the scheme, what we also seek to achieve at the end of the day at this sensitisation is to enlighten our women to access the services the NHIS provides, especially the exemptions,” she stated.

“Some of them have vulnerable children who, by the policy, are exempted from paying processing fees for acquiring the NHIS membership cards, but they still pay full amounts to be enrolled on the scheme, and the reason is simply that, they are not aware”, she added.

She emphasised that the leaders, having been sensitised, were expected, in turn, to educate their members in their respective communities to be abreast of the NHIS coverage to effectively access health care services.

Mr Mumin Muttalib, Assistant Public Relations Officer, Talensi/Nabdam Districts of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), indicated that the Authority was fully aware of the problems associated with the NHIS as some card bearers complained of not enjoying the full services covered by the NHIS at the facility level and was therefore strategising measures to curb the challenge.

While encouraging the women to enroll in the scheme and renew their membership cards annually, he urged them to report cases where they are made to pay for services covered by the NHIS to the nearest NHIA offices for assistance.

The leader of the Wakii Titeltaba women's group, Beatrice Saah, said the workshop had exposed her to so many things of which she was unaware as a member, and added, “I will make sure everything learned here is relayed to my group members. ”

Assembly member, Baare Electoral Area, Apana Atubila, thanked the organisation for the enlightenment and pledged to support vulnerable people in his community to enroll onto the scheme.