Chief asks gov't to reduce waiting time of NHIS clients

A chief in the Central Region, has called on the government to reduce the waiting time for fresh clients of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), from three months to one month. Nana Twumasi Owuyaa III, Tufohene (Sub-chief) of Gomoa Sampa, who made the call, suggested the need for effective mechanisms to be put in place to ensure that expired NHIS Identification cards are renewed on the very day a client applies for a new card. Nana Twumasi Owuyaa made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Gomoa Kyiren. Nana Owuyaa described the NHIS delivery policy as good and promising and urged the government to address the teething challenges thwarting implementation. The Tufohene who is also the leader of the Aikasu-based Cocoa and Food Crops Farmers Association, near Akim-Aperade in the Eastern Region, expressed regret that a number of cocoa and food producers in the area who registered with the NHIS for more than a year ago had not received their cards. He said the delay had waned their interest in the policy. In a related development Nana Owuyaa has appealed to farmers in the area to guard against the outbreak of bushfires since the dry season was fast approaching.