The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has announced its readiness to begin the biometric registration exercise in the Northern Region, scheduled to commence on Monday, July 27.

Mr Perry Nelson, Director of Management Information Systems of the NHIA who announced this in Tamale on Wednesday at a news conference said the exercise would begin in five districts where NHIA would register residents and train the local staff to take over the process.

The districts are Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo, West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi, Gushiegu and Karaga districts, where the team would spend two weeks and rotate the process in the remaining districts until the entire region is captured.

Mr Nelson said the exercise has no time limit and urged the public to exercise patience since everybody would be registered as at when the team arrives.

“In order to manage crowds and serve you better, we advise that only pregnant women, children under five, the aged and those registering for the first time be given the first chance.”

He said those who want to renew their membership should wait till three months or less to the expiration of their membership before going for the new biometric ID cards.

He urged those coming for the exercise to provide their telephone numbers, emergency contact details and SSNIT card number.

Mr Nelson said the biometric system has not changed any policy of the scheme but is just an upgrade of the old membership cards.

He said the NHIS biometric membership ID card is meant to improve the management of the scheme and to give easy access to healthcare services.

He said it is also meant to reduce double claims payments.

He said the biometric exercise is to clean up the system to ensure authenticated data backed by integrity.

Mr Nelson said it is a smart card meant to capture all the details of the bearer including the finger prints.
Mr Hudu Iddrisu, Regional Manager of the NHIA appealed to the media to sensitise the public on the biometric registration to ensure that the exercise is conducted without challenges.