The Cross River State Government has kicked-off health insurance scheme enrolment for vulnerable citizens resident in the state.
The governor of the state, Professor Ben Ayade, flagged off the enrolment at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, the capital city.
Ayade, who expressed gratitude to Professor Mohammed Sambo, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme for his contributions to the development of the affordable healthcare, said the exercise signalled an end to the pains and sufferings of the vulnerable.
“Let me make it very clear that Cross River State from today will more than ever be committed to health. Governance in any third world economy should focus on the people. When the people are stable, then they will generate income”, he said.
“As we launch this health insurance scheme, AyadeCare, every taxable adult who has an income is mandated to contribute a token of N1, 000 monthly.
A third party board of trustees has been contracted to manage the funds for effective delivery. The third party would manage the distribution of drugs and support services at the various health centres and the referral hospital across the state”, he added.
Contributory funds
Ayade urged wealthy citizens, corporate organisations and politicians to support the scheme by contributing funds that would positively impact the lives and livelihood of ordinary citizens.
“Let the strong pay for the sick, the rich pay for the poor. The humane thing for any wealthy individual or corporate organisations to do is to make healthcare affordable for the vulnerable and poor in the society. I also advise the fund managers to avoid the temptation of mismanaging the contributions”, he said.
NHIS support
The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS Professor Mohammed Sambo, said that the Nigerian Government signed the National Health Acts of 2014 into law in response to the poor health outcomes across the country.
Sambo said, “Section 11 of the National Health Act mandates the establishment of a basic Health Care Provision Fund to support the effective delivery of Primary Healthcare services, provision of Basic Minimum Healthcare package and Emergency Medical Treatment to all Nigerians.”
He hinted that the scheme commenced the disbursement of 6.5 billion naira to 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory, which fulfilled the requirement for inclusion.
“I am happy to note that Cross River State, having successfully met the conditions is flagging off the commencement of enrolment which opens a window of succour and new possibilities for the people of this great state.
“NHIS shall provide state agencies with technical and operational support especially in the areas of training, technology and programme development. The ultimate objective is to enable state agencies take their places in the rapidly changing landscape of health insurance towards attainment of the Universal Health Coverage by 2030,” Sambo said.
He further disclosed that NHIS has disbursed 250 million naira to the Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme to enhance enrolment and provision of support health services to all enrolees.
There were goodwill messages from representatives of third party administrators, fund managers, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu and the Director General of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong.
Nneka Ukachukwu
