The National Identification Authority (NIA) in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) will start registering children between the ages of 6 to 14 years from October 7, 2024 to March 2025.
The Authority made the disclosure during an engagement with stakeholders including the media yesterday.
The exercise, the Authority added, will cover Ghanaian children within the age bracket in all districts across the country.
The registration exercise will be conducted in 170 operational district offices of NHIA, and about 2, 850,000 children are expected to be registered in five months in the first phase, while the second phase will cover the remaining 106 operational districts of the NIA.
In a presentation on the operational plan for the registration exercise, Deputy Director of operations at NIA, Alfred Gazari, said the children will be issued with smart dual interface biometric Ghana cards which is same as what was issued to the population above 15 years, but with an inscription of ‘minor’ embossed at the back of the card.
Mr. Gazari mentioned that any individual who presents a child for registration should be a Ghanaian, 18 years old or above, of sound mind and a holder of Ghana card.
“The person who is permitted to complete a child’s allocation form is a biological parent of the child, legal guardian of the child, a relative of the child and a social welfare officer responsible for the child’s wellbeing,” he added.
In a speech read on his behalf, Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye, said it was imperative that the identity of citizens were captured to ensure every Ghanaian’s right to health care.
Dr. Aboagye stated that the NIA and NHIA are expected as part of its collaboration to register 6.3 million children, which would lay the foundation for a healthier, more secure future for young children who would be put on the NHIA scheme.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah