Biometric registration will end NHIS registration problems – NHIA boss
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority,(NHIA) Sylvester Mensah has justified the Authority’s decision to register subscribers using the biometric system.
The NHIA has announced a pilot biometric registration exercise for in two districts which would be followed by a nationwide registration exercise.
The Authority has said implementing a Biometric Solution will prevent the duplication of records and ensure effective verification (authentication) system at the point of healthcare service delivery.
However different groups including the Progressive People’s Party have described the move as a duplication of the functions of the National Identification Authority and a waste of money.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast News, Mr. Sylvester Mensah explained his outfit’s is using this exercise to address the perennial problems associated with the issuance of identification cards.
“The reason for this instant issuance of identification cards has been flagged; it is to address the perennial problems of delays in I.D card issuance, we appreciate that we have an inefficient I.D card system”.
Mr. Mensah added that, the program has been in the pipeline for a while and it is only being implemented.
“We had some consultations, on the 20th of April 2010, we had a meeting with then speaker of Parliament Peter Alan Adjetey and some authorities of the NHIA, and the purpose of the meeting was to look at whether we could have a common data and the use of a common I.D card.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Imani Ghana, Kofi Bentil, believes the NHIA is justified to conduct a nationwide biometric exercise.
“I think the NHIS should keep doing what it is doing because the national identification system is failing, the NIA people have not been able to give them what they need.It is duplication, it shouldn’t have happened, but clearly if they don’t do it, the NIA is not ready to move on so they should do what they are doing.” He added
Credit: Citifmonline
