News
Upper West NHIS achieves 79 per cent target for 2020
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Upper West Region achieved 79 per cent coverage of its 2020 client target at the end of September.
The scheme, at the end of the third quarter had enrolled and retained a total of 447,493 members as regards its target of 564,511 clients in the region. This figure indicates that about 1,634 persons either registered or renewed their cards daily in the first nine months of the year.
According to the Acting Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Samuel Lobber, the achievement was as a result of the mobile renewal strategy that was added to the services of the Authority, and allowed clients to renew their cards from the comfort of their homes.
He based his assertion on the fact that 60 per cent of the registrants renewed their cards using the *929# short code that was introduced by the NHIA two years ago, and said that the numbers would not have been feasible if they were relying solely on the manual registration.
Mr Lobber disclosed this to The Spectator at Wa on the link between the introduction of the short code to patronage of the scheme in the region
He noted that in the Upper West Region, the mobile renewal was very essential to residents as a chunk of their clients resided in areas that were quite remote from the respective district capitals and accessing their offices to renew their cards was quite challenging.
The Ag. Director said that the number of registrants this year, depicted improvement in the service delivery of the Authority in terms of widening access and ensuring effective customer satisfaction.
He stated that accessing health care was the primary right of every individual and incumbent on stakeholders such as the NHIA to collaborate with health care providers to ensure enhancement in the universal health coverage.
“This we can confidently claim to have achieved with the renewal of the code which has reduced congestion at our district offices as people prefer to use the short code to renew their cards in the comfort of their homes”, he said.
Mr Lobber reiterated that with the integration of the NHIS card into the Ghana Card, access to health care would be easier as persons who misplaced their NHIS cards could still access healthcare with their Ghana Card “if they take the necessary steps to merge the two cards using the *929# code.”
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
News
Upper West Regional Police Command secures conviction against notorious robbers
The Upper West Regional Police Command is pleased to announce the conviction and sentencing of Abdulai Ibrahim alias Baba, 34 (Driver Mate) and Abdulai Kipo, 36 (Butcher), for their involvement in conspiracy to commit crimes to wit robbery and robbery.
The duo were found guilty and sentenced to 28 and 18 years imprisonment in Hard Labour, respectively.
The accused persons were implicated in a series of robberies across the Napogbakole, Danko, SSNIT, and Konta areas of the Wa Municipality.
Their arrest and conviction were made possible through intelligence-led investigations and meticulous gathering of evidence by the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate.
The conviction and sentencing were carried out at the Wa Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Jonathan Avoogo.
The court’s verdict underscores the Command’s commitment to ensuring justice and safety in the region.
The Upper West Regional Police Command reaffirms its determination to make the region safe for peaceful coexistence and will continue to work tirelessly to combat crime and protect its residents.
News
Police arrest two suspects for possession of suspected narcotic substance at Ayi Mensah
The Ghana Police Service has arrested two suspects for possession of eleven (11) large compressed sacks of a substance suspected to be narcotics at Ayi Mensah in the Greater Accra Region.
The suspects, Mathew Narkotey and Augustine Teye, were arrested by a team from the National Operations Department (NOD) on June 7, 2025 during routine patrols. The suspects were onboard a Mazda pick-up truck with registration number GT 3490-P when a search uncovered the suspected narcotic substance concealed in the vehicle.
The vehicle and the suspected substances have been impounded and are currently secured at the Joint Operations Centre for evidential purposes.
Both suspects are in police custody assisting with investigations, while efforts are underway to arrest one Martey, named by the suspects as the intended recipient of the consignment.
