A major pillar in the ongoing reforms of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and by extension the health insurance industry is the institutionalization of a responsive reward system.
The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Prof Muhamned Sambo stated this during his visits to state offices of the Scheme, in Kaduna.
He said that the system will also include sanctions for erring staff or stakeholders.
Prof Sambo stressed that the era when misconduct was swept under the carpet was over, noting that recently a staff who disclosed official information without authorisation was brought under disciplinary action.
“if you are out for reforms, some decisions will be palatable, some others will not be” Prof Sambo said.
While highlighting the significance of the reforms, the Executive Secretary said that the new NHIS was driven by a three-point agenda of value-reorientation, transparency and accountability and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He Identified good work ethic as a key element of value re-orientation, saying that “we will continue to work until NHIS becomes the pride of all Nigerians”
“I have scanned through, I have not seen an organization with a more important mandate as NHIS‘” He said.
At the Jigawa state office of the Scheme, the Executive Secretary told staff to make it a point of duty to constantly update their knowledge of goings in the scheme and health insurance developments in general, stressing that promotion examinations were now based on staff’s knowledge of the Scheme.
According to Sambo, unlike in the immediate past promotion, examinations are no longer an all comers’ affair where staff were elevated without demonstrating basic understanding of the workings of the Scheme, adding that staff must have a working knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the entire reforms at their fingertips to be able to succeed in the examinations.
As part of building a communication bridge, the Executive Secretary holds meetings with staff of the state office he visits.
