Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has implored the media to set the agenda and increase the frequency of public discourse on the Ghana card and National Health Insurance Card merger.
He said the media must intensify public education on the benefits of the integrated system in view of the socio-economic importance that would be accrued.
He was speaking at the official launch of the NHIS Week celebration under the theme, ‘NHIS-Leaving no one behind,’ held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
“Today, as part of Government policy to make the Ghana Card the standard ID for all residents in Ghana, the NHIA is launching the next step in the digitization journey – the linkage of the Ghana Card with the NHIS card. After today, NHIS members can through their mobile phone using *929# link their NHIS card to their Ghana Card.”
“They can then use the Ghana card to renew their NHIS membership through mobile money. They will also be able to use their Ghana Card to access health services at all accredited providers. This pilot is being launched today 9th November for the start of NHIS Week,” he announced.
“This marks the beginning of a new dawn in the National Health Insurance system. This innovation reaffirms the NPP’s Government’s commitment in our digital journey towards creating the needed ICT infrastructure comparable to any in the developed world.”
According to Alhaji Dr. Bawumia, the government’s quest to make the Ghana Card the sole source of identification for persons living in Ghana and for accessing public services has received a major boost.
He further explained, “With the agenda of Ghana card being the sole form of identification and access to social services, NHIA has taken the steps in making that happen by linking NHIS membership to the Ghana card. This fits very well into the inclusiveness agenda of government to leave no one behind and the NHIS is on this path in its quest to provide affordable healthcare to all residents of Ghana.”
He unveiled government’s plan to launch yet another integration of the Ghana Card and the Tax Identification Numbers, SSNIT cards, Passport, DVLA, Bank Accounts, and SIM cards scheduled for the early part of 2021.”
He detailed the impact of the government’s digitization drive in the health sector saying, “The scope of digitization in the health sector is enormous. It ranges from procurement to nationwide drugs inventory management system, patient record management, portability of patients’ records across the country, to health insurance management, and billing verification and payments across providers.
“What is key for us today is the leveraging of the Ghana Card to transform our health system. This is a game-changer. All you need is the Ghana Card which has embedded in it all your important personal data. Linked to the Digital Address System and the Birth and Death Registry, we would have built the most comprehensive database of citizens as far as our health demographics are concerned.”
