As part of efforts to attain Universal Health Coverage, authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has unveiled Health Insurance Service Call Center to enable residents have access to quality health care services within the nation’s capital.
The Acting Secretary FCT Health and Human Service Secretarial, Dr Mohammed Kawu said unveiling the FCT Health Insurance Scheme call center became necessary in order to give fast responses to residents having complaints with their Health Insurance enrolment at hospitals.
Dr Kawu who maintained that achieving Universal Health Coverage was possible, urged residents of the FCT to take advantage of the FCT Health scheme to minimise out of pocket spending.
Universal health tool
Kawu added that, health insurance is a tool used all over the world to achieve the Universal Health Coverage, UHC.
“The directive all over the world is TO achieve Universal Health Coverage for your community, society and country. In Nigeria we are struggling with this unveiling in FCT, we are on course and I believe in the nearest future we are going to achieve that.
You can provide the facility, medical equipment, personnel, drugs, but if the people do not have financial access to this services, it is equal to nothing”, Dr Kawu said.
While commenting on the measures taken by the administration to curb further spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the second wave, Dr Kawu revealed that the administration had already established its own Covid-19 laboratory in Kubwa General Hospital for testing samples.
He disclosed that the laboratories will come on stream in the next few weeks.
Dr Kawu said Health Insurance is a tool through which people can use to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
“Facilities are provided at primary, secondary and tertiary levels but using health insurance we are able to get our people to go and pay and get those services
The administration has established a lot of sample collection sites. The administration has gone ahead to open its own laboratory at Kubwa hospital donated by the private sector. This laboratory is going to come on stream in the next one or two weeks, so I can assure you, we are circulating the sample of collected sites all over the territory and everybody that needs to be tested especially the community, will do so.
It is sad that we are having increase in the number of cases but what is important and good is that, we have done it before and I can assure you that we are going to do it again because we know what to do”, he added.
Prompt treatment of complaints
Also speaking, the Director FCT Health insurance Scheme, Dr Mohammed Danfulani noted that with the establishment of the call center, all enrolee’s complaints will be addressed within 24 hours.
He added that, such center will be replicated across the six Area Councils of the FCT in order to serve the people well.
“The experiences of those that are accessing their services will be much better. It makes things easy for them to access our service and get to us. And when they have complained in the hospital, they can call us directly and we can resolve the issue very promptly and within 24 hours we can resolve any issues arising from the hospital“, he said.
Equity funding
Dr Danfulani said the Federal government through the national health Act of 2014, section 11, provided for the basic health care provision fund which is one percent of the consolidated revenue of the federal government released annually to all the state social health insurance schemes and the primary health care agencies all over the country to revitalize the primary healthcare and to give services to all those who are vulnerable through the state social insurance scheme.
He hinted that, the equity funding is purely reserved for the poor and vulnerable, adding that, every state government is encouraged to release the equity fund to the state social Insurance Scheme so that the poor and vulnerable persons can be enrolled.
“All the state social insurance scheme already have in their law what is called the equity fund.
The money has already been released and we are at the final stage of rolling out the services everywhere in the country“, Danfulani added.
The Hotlines include: 07041114443, 07046700006, 07041144000 or fhssmail@gmail.com
