Thirty-three (33) selected health providers in the Asante-Akim South District have undergone a day's sensitization training on the new national health insurance scheme (NHIS) biometric cards.

The cards are being introduced to promote easy identification of subscribers to enhance service delivery both at the point of issuance and the health facilities. The participants were taken through the biometric system and how to handle the authentication device.

Mr Edward Buckman, the Project Coordinator of the Biometric Membership System (BMS), said it would help to clean the membership data base of the scheme. That would remove multiple-ownership of NHIS cards and rein in the “blatant abuse of the system”.

Mr Razak Tidana of the Super Technology Limited, the project implementers, advised the participants to keep the authentication device away from direct sunlight and excessive heat to prolong its lifespan. The equipment, he said, needed to be handled with utmost care.

Mr William Mensah, the District Manager of the Scheme, expressed optimism that the training would clear all the myth surrounding the biometric cards and empower health providers to raise the quality of service to clients.