About Two Hundred and Sixty (260) selected staff of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the middle belt of Ghana have attended a four-day trainer of trainers program in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
The participants, comprising Public Relations Officers, Client Attendants, District Manager’s and Regional Directors, came from the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and parts of the Eastern Regions and acquired in-depth knowledge of good customer service and relationship building, communication, marketing, branding and effective writing skills.
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the five-year program strongly emphasized mass media interventions lined up to shore up the NHIS active membership that feeds into the global agenda of attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.
The program was organized by the Corporate Affairs Directorate (CAF) in partnership with the Training and Development Unit, NHIA head office.
The in-house facilitators have been Ruth Kukua Ntumy-Coleman, Naphtali Awuakye Kyei-Baffour and Abdul Karim Naatogmah of the Corporate Affairs (CAF) Directorate. Ag. Director CAF, Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah, Deputy Director, Training and Development Unit, Mr. Dickson Nuku Dansu, Deputy Director, Mr. Sebastian Alagpulinsa, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Directorate, Middle Belt Director, Mr. Tweneboah-Kodua and the Ashanti Regional Director, Mr. Kwadwo Dwomoh made valuable inputs throughout the sessions.
Mr. Oswald Essuah-Mensah bemoaned the NHIS low publicity stunts at the regional and district levels and urged the Public Relations Officers to intensify their awareness creation on the Scheme’s Benefit Package, MyNHIS App, the Mobile Renewal platform and linkage of NHIS and Ghana cards.
He called for more newsworthy stories from the regional and district offices to augment the NHIS media mileage. The NHIA’s lead Trainer, Mr. Dickson Nuku Dansu reassured staff of executive management’s commitment to improve their welfare.
He underscored the need for the frontline staff to go the extra mile and increase the Scheme’s active membership. Both the Middle Belt and the Ashanti Regional Directors implored the participants to extend the knowledge acquired to their colleagues.
The training program was coordinated by the NHIA’s focal person in charge of the USAID project, Mrs. Afua Birago Marfo and Barbara Ayiwa Dankwa, Administrative Assistant, Ashanti Regional office, NHIA.
The first phase of the USAID funded trainer of trainers program was held in Tamale for staff in the Northern Belt of Ghana and the third phase is scheduled for staff in the Coastal Belt to be organized in the Greater Accra Region.
