NHIA SUPPORTS NIA TO CLEAR THE BACKLOG OF GHANA CARDS FOR REGISTERED CHILDREN

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is assisting the National Identification Authority (NIA) in clearing a backlog of about 360,000 Ghana cards for children aged 6 to 14.

 This initiative is part of a Joint Cooperative Agreement (JCA) signed between the two institutions in 2024 to register approximately 6.2 million children in schools.

Providing details of the on-going exercise, the Deputy Director at NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate, in charge of Business Systems and IT and Project Coordinator, Mr. Joe Annor-Darkwah, said that the backlog resulted from technical and operational challenges that disrupted the initial registration exercise.

He said the printing process, which began on April 24, 2025, is expected to take 10 days. It will cover all 16 regional offices and select district offices of the NHIA.

He said a joint team from the NIA and NHIA oversees the printing and distribution of these cards.

“Once completed, the cards will be delivered to NHIA district offices, where teams will visit schools to issue them directly to registered children,” he said.

Mr. Annor-Darkwah confirmed that all the logistics and personnel needed for this exercise were detailed to all the regional print farm centers.

He also mentioned that all the Ghana cards from the backlog printing will be delivered to the various NHIA district offices nationwide.

“A team from the district offices shall also visit their respective basic schools to issue out the cards to the school children,” he said.

Providing background to the collaboration, Mr. Annor-Darkwah said the exercise is a strategic step under a broader initiative aimed at registering and enrolling children into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), thereby reinforcing the government’s directive to use the Ghana Card as the sole identity document for accessing public services.

“The ongoing exercise is being conducted under the framework of a Joint Cooperative Agreement (JCA) signed between the NHIA and the NIA in 2024. The agreement laid the foundation for the registration of approximately 6.2 million school-aged children who fall within the 6 to 14-year age bracket.

“This partnership was necessitated by the gap in the Ghana Card data provided by the NIA, which had excluded children under 15, despite the NHIS covering individuals of all ages.

“The push to integrate Ghana Card data into public service delivery stems from a government directive mandating its use as the sole form of national identification.

“In response, the NIA shared approximately 17.9 million Ghana Card records with the NHIA, up from an initial 15 million records as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed around 2019.

“This data integration has allowed the NHIA to streamline its operations and introduce digital platforms such as *USSD codes (*929# and 842#) and the MyNHIS App, enabling members to register, renew, and authenticate their health insurance details remotely.

“These innovations significantly reduced the need for in-person visits to NHIA district offices, enhancing user convenience and cutting operational costs.

However, the absence of Ghana Card data for children under 15 posed a challenge.

“To bridge this gap, the NHIA initially considered procuring its own biometric ID cards for children. But after discussions with the NIA, which cited funding and logistical constraints, the NHIA opted instead to support the NIA’s efforts by repurposing its funds to procure 3 million blank Ghana Cards along with the necessary consumables.

“The NHIA secured parliamentary approval for this strategic pivot and contributed card printers, laminators, and trained personnel to support the registration of children. The NIA contracted temporary staff assigned to two teams: one supporting NHIA staff and the other working directly under the NIA. The NHIA covered the wages of the team assigned to it, while the NIA was responsible for the others,” he said.

Mr. Annor-Darkwah said the registration campaign officially began on October 14, 2024, and made promising strides until late November 2024, when the NIA suspended the exercise, citing a lack of funds to continue paying their contracted team. By that time, approximately 360,000 children had been registered, but only 7,100 cards had been printed and issued.

He said that in response to the suspension and the emerging backlog, a Joint Technical Committee was tasked with finding a way forward.

He said the committee was mandated to resolve two major issues: clear the printing backlog, distribute the cards, and resume the halted registration campaign to fully utilize the 3 million Ghana Cards already procured by the NHIA.

Mr. Alfred Gazari, in charge of operations at the NIA, assured us that a nationwide registration exercise will resume after the backlog printing is completed.