Josiah
Residents of island communities in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District of the Eastern Region are set to have easier access to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) services following the commissioning of a 22-seater fibre boat for outreach activities.
The boat was commissioned at Zikpo Nyuinyui and will be used by NHIS officials to travel to communities such as Dwarf Island, Digya Island and Dodi Island, where residents often face challenges accessing public services because of their location.
With the new boat, NHIS officials will be able to take services such as registration, membership renewal and community outreach programmes directly to residents, reducing the need for people to make long and difficult journeys to the mainland.
Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey said living on an island should not prevent residents from accessing essential public services.
“For residents of the island communities, accessing essential services can be challenging because of the distance and the lake,” she said.
According to her, the boat will improve the mobility of NHIS officials and make it easier for the scheme to reach communities that are difficult to access by road.
“This is an important step towards ensuring that where people live does not become a barrier to accessing public services,” the minister added.
For residents of the island communities, the lake is a major part of their daily lives but also creates a significant challenge when they need to access services available on the mainland.
The Regional Minister said improving transportation across the lake would therefore make it easier for residents to access NHIS registration, membership renewal and other outreach services.
The initiative is also expected to help expand health insurance coverage in remote communities and ensure that people living in hard-to-reach areas are not left out of essential public services.
Ms Awatey commended the District Chief Executive for Kwahu Afram Plains North, Kate Mawusi Babanawo, the NHIS and other stakeholders for their efforts in making the boat available.
The commissioning forms part of efforts to overcome the geographical challenges facing communities scattered across the lake and bring essential public services closer to residents.
Source:Omanghana
