A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Afigya Sekyere East constituency, Richard Barima Sarpong, has provided free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration for over one thousand people in his indigenous constituency.
The gesture was part of activities to commemorate his 40th birthday yesterday. It was also in line with his project dubbed “Barima@40 Free NHIS Registration”.
Barima Sarpong and his team divided the entire constituency into four zones to register the constituents on the NHIS.
The beneficiaries, who were mostly children and the aged, were drawn from communities such as Bepose, Boanim, Kona, Afonamaso, Wiamose, Asamang, Agona and Jamasi, all in Sekyere East constituency in the Ashanti Region.
The exercise
Touching on the rationale behind the exercise, Mr Sarpong explained that it was to enable the residents in the area to have access to medical care without any huge financial commitments.
He noted that most of the people in the area had not been able to register with the NHIS due to poverty, adding that “it is part of my corporate social responsibility as a son of the land”.
He explained that he decided to register the residents with the NHIS so that they could undergo regular check-ups to know their health status.
According to him, the lack of NHIS cards had led most of the residents staying at home when they are sick, instead of reporting at the nearest facility for treatment.
He advised the residents who had not yet registered with the NHIS to do so since it is an important move to promote good health.
He appealed to benevolent individuals in the area to emulate his example to register more people with the NHIS as part of giving back to society.
Barima Sarpong
Mr. Barima Sarpong, who hails from the Sekyere East constituency, is heavily tipped to contest the upcoming NPP primaries in the constituency. He has already carved a niche for himself on the political space in the estimation of delegates.
He is noted for his undiluted taste for youth empowerment and economic emancipation of persons at the grassroots level. Barima Sarpong holds Master’s Degree in Development Communication and a Degree in Law.
He was born and educated at a village called Dawu, a kilometre away from Jamasi where he attended Adu Gyamfi Senior High School, and later the University of Ghana.
He is expected to announce an official bid for the 2023 parliamentary primaries of the NPP.
