NHIA acquires boats for field service

THE National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has acquired three boats for use by its subscribers in the Sene, Krachie West and Afram Plains districts.
The boats, which were inaugurated at the Marine Yard at Akosombo last Friday, were purchased purposely to convey subscribers who live beyond the Volta Lake to access health care under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Each of the boats is supposed to carry a maximum of eight persons at a time for a fee.
At the inauguration ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, said taking into account the government’s agenda of a better Ghana, the NHIA was committed to providing its subscribers, particularly those in economically challenged circumstances, the opportunity to access health care without hindrance.
He observed that the country’s quest for accessible health care for its people had often been confronted by the problems that did not necessarily come from the health sector but others such as transportation.
He expressed the hope that the move would help address the problem of numerous accidents on the Volta Lake which had been attributed mainly to the overloading of poorly maintained boats.
He gave the assurance that the authority would, by the end of the year, provide about 10 more boats to ensure that many more communities were able to access health care.
The CEO pointed out that there was to be a three-member committee in each of the beneficiary districts to manage the revenue that would accrue from the operations of the boats and cautioned that there was the need for transparency to sustain the project.
For his part, the Volta River Authority (VRA) Town Manager at Akosombo, Mr M.K. Afriyie, expressed appreciation at the move by the NHIA and said the three additional boats could effectively complement the work of the VRA, which had already provided one boat nicknamed “Onipa Nua” to convey people to and from the other side of the lake.
He acknowledged the fact there were more communities still suffering from lack of transportation and appealed to other institutions to emulate the NHIA’s gesture.
The Eastern Regional Schemes Manager, Mr Emil Afram, expressed appreciation at the moves made by the NHIA but pointed out that next time bigger boats should be provided to convey many more people and also be in the position to withstand storms.
The Chairman for the function, Nana Nyarko Asare II, the Gyaasehene of Senchi, expressed the hope that the provision of the boats by the NHIA would help the people access health care.