Long queues at "HIS" centers affecting productivity in Bolgatanga


Long queues at the Bolgatanga Health Insurance Scheme premises are gradually affecting productivity in the municipality. 

Since the inception of the biometric registration exercise, the premise of the municipal health insurance has been a centre of attraction. 

According to our Upper East Regional correspondent, Dangmaa Felix Lambert, nursing mothers, pregnant women, as well as the old and the aged spend long hours in queues waiting for their turns. This is affecting their daily business activities.  

The overcrowding also poses health risk as Cerebrospinal Meningitis is usually rampant during the heat season. 

Some students, who spoke to Radio Ghana, said academic lives are being affected because they spent lesson hours at the health insurance premises. Some clients also confirmed passing a night amidst mosquito bites at the premises in order to register for the National Health Insurance card.
 
According to them, the situation was the same during harmattan season. In an interaction with URA News, the Bolgatanga Municipal Scheme Manager, Roland Ayine, who confirmed the situation said several measures have been put in place to check the overcrowding. 

These include a shift system for staff so as to attend to the increasing number of people. 

Mr. Ayine explained that the biometric registration system demands beneficiaries to be present at the Insurance office for the registration process. This he said is a bit different from the previous one where registration can be done on behalf of an individual. 

He said, link failure is another challenge. According to him registration grinds to a halt each time there is a link failure hence contributing to the overcrowding. He has however maintained that measures are been put in place to ease the pressure and reduce the crowd.

GBC