Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority, Sylvester A. Mensah, was on Tuesday honoured at a ceremony at La Manjaano as “a favourite son of La and an asset to the people of Ghana.”

Abese Divisional Council of the La Paramountcy in conferring the honour described Mr Mensah as a true son of the soil and one who has brought pride and dignity to the people of La since his entry into public service some 25 years ago. According to Nii Anang Kwao who presented the award on behalf of the Abese Divisional Council, the NHIA boss who was once a Member of Parliament for the La Dadekotopon constituency which straddles La, Labone, Cantoments and surrounding areas, has distinguished himself in his various “capacities as a lecturer, finance professional, banker, politician, strategic management expert, social worker and social health insurance technocrat.”

Mr Mensah’s tenure as MP between 1997 and 2001 was said to have been marked with tremendous progress evidenced by road rehabilitation and new road constructions which brought a lot of relief to his constituents.

The ceremony which was part of the La-Afrimi Yam Festival celebrated by the people of La led by the Abese Divisional Council of the La Paramountcy was meant to honour illustrious sons of the La Traditional Area who have excelled in various fields of endeavour. The event was under the theme, “Unity and Development.”

Nii Anang Kwao in presenting the award on behalf of Nii Okai Ako, Abese Mantse, eulogised Mr Mensah for what he described as instituting “far-reaching” reforms to make Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme more viable and relatively more efficient with numerous initiatives that have made Ghana’s NHIS a toast of the international community and relief for many Ghanaians.

“As Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority from 2009, you are credited with far-reaching organizational restructuring, innovations, and initiatives to reform the NHIS, you have improved efficiency, contained cost, and are implementing measures to secure the long-term future of the scheme. Your tenure at the helm is marked by the development of a new vision, mission and strategic direction for the Scheme,” he observed.

Among others, it was said that under Mr Mensah’s stewardship at the NHIA, the Scheme has emerged on the international healthcare landscape as a model of healthcare financing for countries in the developing world and beyond, underscored by numerous study tours of the NHIS by delegations from foreign countries and institutions, seeking to learn from Ghana’s experience.

The coveted UN Award for Excellence for Leadership and Innovation won by the NHIS in Geneva, Switzerland in November, 2010 during his tenure was also highlighted.

Mr Mensah has previously been honoured as the most effective Public Sector CEO in Ghana by the West African Regional Magazine. He has also won the Africa Prize for Excellence and Leadership in Corporate Governance by the Global Centre for Transformational Leadership.

Others who were honoured by the Abese Divisional Council of the La Paramountcy include Professor Ablade Glover, an accomplished scholar, renowned international artist and former lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Hon. Nii Amasah Namoale, MP for La Dadekotopon and former deputy Minister of Agriculture, among others.