The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, has launched an inter-school quiz competition aimed at improving knowledge and understanding of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among students.
The competition was launched at Kintampo Senior High School on Tuesday as part of efforts to educate young people about the benefits of the scheme and equip them with information they can share with their families and communities.
Dr Bampoe said the initiative was designed to address gaps in public understanding of NHIS benefits, particularly situations where people only discover what their insurance covers when seeking medical care.
He observed that many Ghanaians lacked adequate knowledge of their NHIS benefits until they were confronted with medical bills, often at a time when they were already worried about the health of a loved one.
According to him, equipping students with accurate information about the scheme could help prevent such situations by enabling them to educate their parents, grandparents and other family members.
Dr Bampoe explained that students could become important sources of information in their households, helping relatives understand their NHIS benefits and access services such as membership renewal.
He noted that a young person who understands how the scheme operates could help family members navigate the system, including assisting those who struggle to use digital platforms to renew their membership cards.
The NHIA CEO stressed that the initiative went beyond the competition itself, indicating that participating schools would receive educational engagements before the quiz to give students the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the scheme.
He said the preparatory sessions were intended to ensure that all participating students benefited from the exercise, regardless of whether they were selected to represent their schools in the competition.
Reflecting on the launch at Kintampo Senior High School, Dr Bampoe expressed optimism about the students’ level of engagement, noting that their questions demonstrated an encouraging interest in understanding the NHIS.
He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service for their partnership, as well as the NHIA’s Corporate Affairs Directorate for its role in organising the initiative.
Dr Bampoe urged the students to share the knowledge they acquire with their families and communities, emphasising that the information could help others better understand and use the scheme.
The inter-school quiz forms part of broader efforts to strengthen public awareness of the NHIS and improve access to information about health insurance benefits across Ghana.
