Health insurance authorities in the Upper West Region has disclose that Universal Health Coverage remains far below target at the halfway mark of 2026, even as active membership figures show strong public confidence in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in the Upper West Region disclosed that it has achieved only 26.75 percent of its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target this year, NHIA highlights the scale of work required in the second half of the year to meet the Authority’s annual objectives.
The data emerged during the Region’s Mid-Year Performance Review Meeting, where management and district officials assessed activities carried out in the first six months of 2026, reviewed key performance indicators, and developed strategies aimed at improving service delivery and membership mobilisation across the Region.
Presenting the Region’s mid-year performance report, Senior Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation, Madam Celine Saayeng, outlined the NHIA’s performance across its major indicators, painting a picture of strong enrolment numbers set against a slower pace of progress toward universal coverage.
According to her breakdown, active membership in the Region stood at 1,003,108, representing 98.73 per cent of the Authority’s active membership target for the year, a figure she said reflects sustained public trust in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
“At mid-year, the region’s active membership stood at 1,003,108, representing 98.73%. Indigent registration recorded 114,007, representing 23% of the annual target. Mobile Renewal recorded 73,924, while the total number of registered and renewed members as of mid-year 2026 stood at 275,867, representing 26.75% of the UHC target of 80% of the population.”
Senior Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation, Madam Celine Saayeng
Beyond active membership, Mad. Saayeng disclosed that registration of indigent members, one of the Scheme’s most vulnerable categories, stood at 114,007, representing 23 per cent of the annual target for that group. She added that 73,924 members had renewed their subscriptions through the Mobile Renewal platform during the same period.
Taken together, the combined number of newly registered and renewed members reached 275,867, translating to the 26.75 per cent UHC figure, which measures progress toward the Region’s goal of insuring 80 per cent of its population.
Officials Flag Renewal Gap as Key Concern
Madam Saayeng noted that although the figures point to steady progress across most indicators, they also expose a widening gap between active membership and actual universal coverage, a gap the Authority attributes partly to memberships expected to lapse before the year runs out.
She explained that a significant number of existing subscriptions are due for renewal before December, meaning the Region’s coverage figures could either improve sharply or stagnate depending on how effectively renewal and registration campaigns are executed in the coming months.
The Senior Manager stressed that closing this gap will require more assertive registration and renewal campaigns targeting both new members and those whose coverage is at risk of expiring, rather than relying solely on the momentum already achieved.
To support these efforts, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Mr. Suleman Bakuri Mohammed presented the Regional Office’s weekly operational data at the review meeting, explaining how the figures are being used to track district-level performance in real time.
He noted that the weekly data provides management with early insight into registration trends, renewal patterns and district-specific shortfalls, allowing the Regional Office to deploy targeted interventions before performance gaps widen further.
Officials at the meeting described continuous data monitoring as an increasingly important tool for accountability, noting that evidence-based planning remains central to the Authority’s long-term objective of expanding health insurance coverage across the Region.
Districts Share Strategies to Close the Gap
An open forum held during the review allowed District Managers to share practical experiences from their respective areas, discussing what has worked and what continues to hold back progress toward the UHC target.
“The exchange of practical experiences and proven strategies across districts will strengthen implementation efforts and support improved performance throughout the Region.”
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Mr. Suleman Bakuri Mohammed
Participants proposed a range of approaches to improving both registration and renewal figures during the second half of the year, with management encouraging districts to replicate successful initiatives rather than operate in isolation from one another.
Despite the relatively strong active membership numbers, officials acknowledged that several operational challenges continue to constrain the Region’s ability to close its UHC gap more quickly. Among the concerns raised were financial and budgetary constraints, inadequate transportation and logistics, illegal charges, and persistent network connectivity issues affecting registration exercises in some communities.
Officials said these constraints often delay field operations and reduce efficiency during registration drives, directly affecting how quickly new members can be brought onto the Scheme and how efficiently renewals can be processed.
NHIA Turns Attention to Second-Half Push
With active membership already close to its annual target but UHC coverage still trailing well behind, the NHIA in the Upper West Region says the second half of 2026 will be decisive in determining whether the 80 percent coverage goal remains achievable.
Management at the review meeting reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying registration and renewal campaigns, strengthening district-level data monitoring, and addressing the logistical bottlenecks identified during the forum, as the Region works to narrow the gap between its strong membership base and its lagging Universal Health Coverage figures before the year ends.
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