The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched a nationwide campaign to provide free registration and renewal of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) membership to all citizens.
Dubbed; the STORM Initiative, it would run from April 15 to May 31, 2026, and allow citizens and legal residents in the country to register for NHIS or renew expired memberships for free with immediate access to healthcare services.
At a press briefing in Accra on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of NHIA, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, explained that STORM was the authority’s strategy of actively reaching out to citizens rather than waiting for them to visit NHIS offices.
He said for the first time in the history of the NHIS, both registration and renewal fees, as well as a mandatory one-month waiting period had been waived simultaneously.
“Previously, if you joined the NHIS or renewed your membership, you would pay a processing fee or premium and wait for one month before you could use your card to access care.
“That wait is gone.
The fees are gone.
This has never happened before,” Dr Bampoe added.
He said the move was part of efforts to accelerate the country’s progress towards universal health coverage.
Registration exercise
Dr Bampoe said under the exercise, NHIA staff would be mobilised to visit markets, lorry stations, churches, mosques, schools and workplaces to register and renew members on the spot.
He said the authority was also collaborating with traditional leaders, community groups and civil society organisations to increase awareness and participation in the exercise.
The CEO further explained that the initiative was tied to the government’s Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) programme which was aimed at providing essential healthcare services at the primary level to all citizens and legal residents, regardless of their insurance status.
To access FPHC services, he said an individual needed either a Ghana Card or an NHIS card for identification, documentation and monitoring purposes.
He said this would make the STORM initiative significant, since it would increase the number of citizens who were registered and active on the NHIS.
Dr Bampoe added that access to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), also known as MahamaCares, was linked to active NHIS membership, making it even more crucial for citizens to enrol and maintain valid coverage.
“The pathway into MahamaCares runs through the NHIS. Without an active NHIS membership, a patient with a chronic disease cannot properly access the specialist-level care that the GMTF provides.
“NHIS card is the key that unlocks the entire continuum of care, from the community health post to the teaching hospital,” he said.
Register now
Dr Bampoe, therefore, urged citizens to take advantage of the window and register or renew their membership.
“An expired card does not protect you. It does not facilitate your referral. It does not activate MahamaCares for you,” he said.
To make renewals more convenient, the CEO urged citizens to dial a short code; *929#, use the MyNHIS mobile application, or visit the scheme’s district offices.
“The message is simple: come, register, renew. It is free, it is immediate, and it could save your life,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh