National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)
One of the factors that would ensure efficient service delivery under
the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is for beneficiaries to know
and protect their rights, especially at the point of demand.
The Acting Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS), Dr. Abdulrahman Sambo, stated this in Abuja at a forum for
persons accessing health care under the scheme. According to him, it was
important for Nigerians to know the privileges they are entitled to and
seek always to ensure they received quality, prompt and courteous
service.
Sambo further stated that the benefit package in operation under the
scheme was comprehensive in addressing the basic health needs of
patients in its coverage, stressing that the exclusion of certain
conditions did not take away from the values of the package.
Sambo, who was represented at the occasion by General Manager,
Technical Operations, Dr. Hope Uweja, noted that the fundamental laws of
economy of scales determined the scheme’s approach to high expenditure
conditions like cancer and HIVAIDS, pointing out that other agencies of
government were already saddled with responsibility for such issues.
In response to a question on extension of health coverage to retired
persons, Sambo said that the programme for retirees was fully developed
but that the basic challenge was who pays on their behalf, considering
that the Scheme is run on a contributory basis.
Reacting to questions by participants who demanded to know the fate of
their children who had been removed from benefitting due to age, he said
they could be re-enlisted as extra-dependants at the cost of Nine
Thousand Naira per annum.
Answering another question, he said that drugs dispensed under the
scheme are “generic” which met medical standards, just like branded
drugs. He assured enrolees that the quality of service at all points
within the operations of the Scheme will be upheld.
“I would like to assure you that the scheme will continue to work to
guarantee improvements in service delivery to our dear enrolees…”
He expressed the determination of the Scheme to continue working
towards improving the health status of Nigerians, emphasizing that the
forum was one such way of finetuning the process of service delivery.
He confirmed that similar forums will be held by the Scheme around the
country on a more frequent note, to protect enrollees’ right to enjoy
access to information about the operations of the scheme.
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