NPP Throws Mud At NHIS

The Eastern Regional Secretariat of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has hinted it will soon secure a court injunction to be placed on the ongoing National Health Insurance Authority�s Biometric registration exercise due to the political twist the exercise has allegedly taken. At the maiden edition of a series of press conferences to be held under the theme �Eastern Must Know,� David Prah, the regional communications director of the party, alleged that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is taken undue advantage of the exercise to put in place election �rigging� machinery to enable the party win the 2016 general election. The NPP explained that sources from inner circles of the NHIA registration centers have revealed that �Some NDC functionaries including some MMDCE�s are using the MMDA vehicles to convey people from villages to the registration centers some of whom are below 18 years, but are being registered biometrically to obtain cards which bear age of 18 years to eventually be used as a proof in the impending voter registration exercise to be carried out by the Electoral Commission.� They further alleged that �the National Health Insurance Authority and government are busily registering people biometrically; the swap machine that will serve as a verification mechanism to know the true owners of the cards have not been supplied to the health facilities and other service providers.� According to the NPP, it is not a mere coincidence that the National Health Insurance Authority�s biometric registration exercise is ongoing simultaneously with the biometric registration of the ruling NDC. The party said it is not against the registration of individual Ghanaians to be enrolled onto the NHIA, but the undue advantage the NDC is taking to push its agenda to �rig� the 2016 general election, therefore, it will seek the law to put on hold the exercise for the right things to be done. The NPP said the ill motive of the NDC on the NHIA biometric exercise has led to overcrowding in the registration centers. They suggested that government could have synchronized all the biometric registration in the country and given the mandated agency such as the National Identification Authority to carry out the registration exercise.