Sylvester Mensah, CEO of the NHIA
AN UNUSUAL National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration dubbed “Special Registration” in selected parts of the country has come under fire from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
John Buadu, Deputy Communications Director of the party has stated the exercise is tailored to give advantage to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the countrywide biometric registration exercise takes off on Saturday.
One of the requirements before one is eligible to be registered is the possession of the NHIS certificate and the NDC according to him has unfolded the exercise in some areas so its members can take advantage of the opportunity.
While some regions have been authorized to undertake the exercise others have been excluded which according to the deputy communications director is weird and suspicious. He went on to explain that even within the regions, strongholds of the party have been penciled for the exercise.
He spoke both on Oman Fm’s Boiling Point and National Agenda programmes on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
He said the exercise was ordered as per a correspondence originating from Mr. Dingon, a Deputy Director of the NHIS who is a parliamentary candidate of the NDC in the Bumkpurgu Yoyowo constituency.
The correspondence dated March 15, 2012 was undated and read “I write on behalf of the Special Registration Team to require that you undertake a special registration on the date indicated……”
The correspondence asked that the registration be completed in three weeks. NHIS officials are asked not to demand questions about nationality and others when processing the special registration, he pointed out.
In Accra, the exercise is being undertaken in Ashiedu Keteke, Maamobi, Mallam Atta Market, Fadama, Lapaz and Ayawaso and applicants are paying less than the standard fee.
In the Ashanti region he said the exercise is ongoing at Asokwa, Bantama and Ejura.
Mr. Buadu demanded to know what informed the choice of areas for the special registration saying while the Ashanti region has only 3 areas penciled for the exercise, Volta region has 13.
In the Volta region some of the areas are Jasikan, North Tongu, Hohoe and Keta among others.
While the Central region has none, the Eastern region has only three which are Lower Manya Krobo, Akwapim South and Afram Plains.
Let all NPP supporters take advantage of the exercise and go and register. The NHIS is being exploited by the NDC. Possession of the NHIS certificate should not be considered adequate proof of Ghanaian citizenship, he said.
When Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs of the NHIS, Ametor Kwame was contacted he sounded defensive and evasive in his responses asking that he be spared a debate on politics since his job schedule does not allow him to engage in political polemics.
“I don’t do politics with my job, the regulations do not allow me to do so,” he said adding “I have stopped appearing on radio programmes because of this reason.”
According to him, there is nothing like a special registration exercise and that what is currently underway is normal and within the realm of the scheme.
It is an arrangement to get those whose registrations have expired; he added explaining that what is going on now happened in 2011.
By A.R. Gomda
