Introduction
Health needs are one of the most important aspects of our lives as humans. Accessing health care in the rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana is always a challenge due to the lack of facilities and the low income of the predominantly subsistence farmers. The plight of the people of the Awudome Traditional area in the Volta Region of Ghana is no different from this narrative.
The people of the Awudome Traditional area in the Volta Region of Ghana once again celebrated their annual Yam Festival dubbed 2022 AWO Fest (TeZa/Yam Festival) with a grand durbar on October 1st, 2022. Various activities lined up marked the 2022 AWO Fest (TeZa/Yam Festival) celebration of the Chiefs and people of the Awudome Traditional Area which started on Monday 26th September and was crowned on the 1st of October with a grand durbar. The Awudome Traditional area comprises Seven (7) major towns as follows: Anyirawase, Avenui, Bame, Dafor, Kwanta, Tsibu, and Tsito. Various settler communities of the main towns including Avenui Camp, Bethel, Borkorvikofe, Dededo, and Tsawenu make up the Awudome Traditional area.
Footprints Of Glory Foundation, a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) based in Tsito, working to bring Hope and Opportunities to the vulnerable in society, embarked on a massive FREE Health Insurance Registration for the people of Awudome. The exercise included NEW REGISTRATIONS onto the scheme, RENEWALS, and REPLACEMENTS. The team from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) spent 5 (five) days moving from one community to another where they set up registration centers.
The exercise is part of Footprints of Glory Foundation’s Community Improvement Initiatives by way of supporting the venerable in society to access affordable Health Care.
DAY ONE
A combined team of volunteers from Footprints of Glory Foundation set camp at the Tsibu Community Center. Long queues of people from the Tsibu, Dafor, and Bethel communities were at the center.
Officials of the NHIS attending to clients at Tsibu community center
At the close of the first day of the exercise, the exercise recorded a total of 309 (Three Hundred and Nine) registrations onto the scheme.
Citizens of Tsibu, Dafor, and Bethel are registered free of charge onto the NHIS scheme
DAY TWO
On the second day of the exercise, the team was stationed at Market Square in Dededo. Tuesdays are market days in Dededo and people from several destinations patronize the market. The exercise covered the people of Dededo, Borkorvikofe, and all patrons of the market from all walks of life.
Officials of the NHIS attending to clients at Dededo market square
A total of 551 (Five Hundred and Fifty One) people were registered onto the scheme. The exercise in Dededo covered Borkorvikofe and patrons of the market.
DAY THREE
Free NHIS registration is ongoing at the Tsito Market Square
Wednesdays are market days in Tsito. The team stationed at the Tsito market square attended to the people of Tsito, Borkorvikofe, and patrons of the market from all walks of life. A total of 974 (Nine Hundred and Seventy-Four) people were registered onto the scheme.
The overwhelming crowd being attended to in Tsito
DAY FOUR
Registration center at Avenui Methodist Church
The registration team stationed at the Avenui Methodist Church attended to people from Avenui, Avenui camp, and Kwanta communities. A total of 754 (Seven Hundred and Fifty-Four) people were registered onto the scheme.
Registration of the vulnerable in society in Avenui
DAY FIVE
Registration center at the Anirawase Taxi Rank
On the final day of the exercise, the team stationed at the market square in Anyirawase attended to the people of Anyirawase, Tsawenu, and people from other communities of Awudome. A total of 989 (Nine Hundred and Eighty-Nine) people were registered onto the scheme.
Registration of the people of Anyirawase, Tsawenu, and other surrounding communities
Conclusion
The people of the Awudome Traditional area in the Volta Region of Ghana celebrated the 2022 AWO Fest (TeZa/Yam Festival) with a grand durbar on October 1st. As part of the festival, the non-profit organization Footprints of Glory Foundation partnered with the National Health Insurance Authority to provide free health insurance registration to the people of Awudome. The five-day exercise included new registrations onto the scheme, renewals, and replacements, and covered communities such as Anyirawase, Avenui, Avenui Camp, Bethel, Borkorvikofe, Dafor, Dededo, Kwanta, Tsawenu, Tsibu, and Tsito. At the end of the exercise, 3,577 registrations were recorded onto the NHIS scheme. This sponsorship is part of Footprints of Glory Foundation’s community improvement initiatives to support vulnerable populations’ access to affordable healthcare.
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