The Upper West Regional Directorate of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) at the weekend organised a blood donation exercise in Wa as part of activities to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Authority.
The exercise, on the theme: ’20 Years of Care, One Pint at a Time, Donate for Life,’ saw 73 pints of blood being harvested to support the Regional Hospital Blood Bank to enhance healthcare delivery.
Addressing students at the Wa Technical Institute, where the exercise was held, Mr Samuel Lobber Lekamwe, the Upper West Regional Director of the NHIA, said the Region was chosen to appreciate the trust reposed by the people in the NHIA over the years.
He said the Upper West Region was one of the only two regions in the country that had attained Universal Health Coverage in National Health Insurance registration.
‘In the case of the Upper West Region, we are celebrating our 20 years of existence to say thank you to the people for being with us all the years to date,’ Mr Lekamwe said.
‘Today we can ta
lk about 684,000 of our people being active members, meaning that these are people who have trust that the NHIA is the only vehicle to ensuring quality care without cost.’
The blood donation, he noted, was also to reaffirm the commitment of the NHIA to meeting the critical health needs of the Ghanaian population as it had demonstrated since its inception in 2003.
The exercise was part of the NHIA’s efforts to give back to society after it had rendered quality, committed, and dedicated health insurance services to the people over the years.
‘Today we want to say that we are even ready to give our blood for the population of the Upper West Region and across the country to demonstrate further how committed we are to protecting lives and guaranteeing financial risk protection in healthcare access for everybody resident in Ghana.’
Mr. Lekamwe commended the management, staff and students of the Wa Technical Institute for their participation and assured the students who donated blood of the fee renewal of their
NHIS membership cards.
Mr Victor Dery, a Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Upper West Regional Hospital, said the facility was running in deficit in bloodstock as the hospital was a major referral centre for the entire region and beyond.
He commended the NHIA for its support in meeting the emergency healthcare needs of the people and appealed to corporate organisations and groups to organise similar exercises to support health facilities to help save lives.
Source: Ghana News Agency