The Upper West Regional Office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has held an Operational and Peer Review Meeting to strategize for the second half of the year towards sustaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC), an enviable milestone already achieved by the region. The meeting was held on July 2, 2026, at the Regional Office.

Participants included all Regional Office staff, District Managers, District Public Relations Officers (PROs), and Management Information Systems (MIS) Officers.The meeting aimed to review activities undertaken between January and June 2026, assess performance in key indicator areas—including UHC status, Vulnerable Groups Registration, Mobile Renewal, NeHFAMS contact updates, and verification—and adopt and share best practices, ideas, and strategies to improve the region's overall performance.

In his welcome address, the Acting Regional Director, Mr. Tindogo Rashid Mohammed, stated that the NHIA is a highly competitive and responsive public sector institution with ambitious performance targets. He therefore urged staff to demonstrate greater commitment and dedication in achieving the Authority's key performance indicators. He also encouraged participants to actively contribute ideas and strategies for the collective benefit of the region.

A Senior Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Madam Celine Saayeng, presented the region's performance at the mid-year review."At mid-year, the region's active membership stood at 1,003,108, representing 98.73%. Indigent registration recorded 114,007, representing 23% of the annual target.

Mobile Renewal recorded 73,924, while the total number of registered and renewed members as of mid-year 2026 stood at 275,867, representing 26.75% of the UHC target of 80% of the population. This underscores the need to intensify our efforts during the second half of the year, as a considerable number of memberships are expected to become inactive," she said.

An M&E Officer, Mr. Suleman Bakuri Mohammed, took participants through the Regional Office's weekly operations data, which is used to analyse district performance and identify strategies to improve membership mobilisation.

The Regional Accountant, Mr. Emmanuel Arah, presented on audit-related issues and stressed the need for District Managers to support and collaborate closely with district accounts staff to promote financial discipline, accountability, and efficiency in the discharge of their duties.

An open forum gave participants the opportunity to share ideas, strategies, suggestions, best practices, and constructive feedback on achieving the Region's key performance indicators (KPIs).

District Managers were encouraged to motivate their staff and foster a conducive working environment to enhance membership performance.

Participants, however, identified financial and budgetary constraints, transportation and logistical challenges, illegal charges, and network connectivity issues as major obstacles to the smooth implementation of the Scheme's operations in the region.

In his closing remarks, the Acting Regional Director commended staff for their sacrifices, perseverance, and hard work over the years, which have contributed to the Region's outstanding performance. He also reminded staff of the Chief Executive's upcoming working visit to the Region and encouraged everyone to align their efforts with the Chief Executive's three-point agenda.

Source: Kele AsrafAg. Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Upper West Region