The Power to the Fishers (PTF) project, a European Union (EU) funded fisheries management intervention, has sensitized and enrolled fisherfolks on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The 4-year fisheries project, being implemented by CERATH Development Organization (CDO), is targeted at enhancing the socio-economic livelihoods of fishing communities in selected districts of coastal Ghana – specifically Effutu Municipal, Awutu Senya, Gomoa West, Ekumfi, and Shama districts. One key component of the project is to enhance knowledge of and access to social protection services in the target project landscape.
The project’s baseline study, which was carried out in October 2019, identified health insurance (among others) to be a social protection service of high interest to fisherfolk due to the occupational health hazards associated with their trade. The baseline study further revealed that subscriptions onto health insurance services had been low despite the interest shown. This occurrence was attributed to lack of knowledge, inadequate information, and bad experiences.
The PTF project, in collaboration with the district offices of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), organized sensitization exercises on the NHIS across the 5 project districts. The coastal communities were taken through the workings and benefits of the scheme, nuances in service delivery, subscription modalities, and demonstrations on the mobile renewal process. As part of the sensitization exercise, NHIA carried out instant registration of new members onto the scheme and renewal of expired membership cards.