The National Health Insurance Scheme’s benefits package now includes four childhood cancers namely Burkitt Lymphoma, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Wilms tumour and Retinoblastoma.

This was disclosed by Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 15 November 2021, when she joined the board, management and staff of the NHIS to launch the National Health Insurance week.

The inclusion of the cancers in the NHIS package, according to Mrs Akufo-Addo, is a significant intervention in the fight against childhood cancers.

Apart from the cancers, family planning has been added to the benefits package as well.

This, the First Lady said, will certainly have a positive impact on the country’s maternal and child mortality outcomes.

Also, anyone who registers or renews their NHIS membership during the one-week NHIS celebration will enjoy instant activation.

For his part, Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said the government would consistently support the NHIA to succeed in attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“The President, as part of his regional tours, recently opened two new district offices for the NHIS in the Amansie East District in the Ashanti Region and the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District in the Western North Region. We will deliver our promise of binging primary healthcare services to the doorsteps of our people without fail," he stressed.

The health minister appreciated the NHIA's home-grown innovations.

"I am delighted that the NHIA continues to introduce new innovations to expand the NHIS operations”.

“As a government, we will continue to ensure that the NHIS finances are released on time to solve the problem of unpaid bills to healthcare providers. The smooth operationalisation of the National Health Insurance Scheme is the government’s major priority," he reiterated.