Group solicits increased interventions for enhanced health insurance coverage

The Centre for Social Justice, a non-governmental organisation, has solicited increased social interventions to enhance health insurance coverage The Executive Director of the group, Mr. Eze Onyekpere, made the call on Thursday in Owerri, during a town hall meeting held with stakeholders on how to improve the realisation of the right to health, a project anchored by the NGO.

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Speaking on the theme, ‘Increased uptake of Health Insurance as a tool to achieve Universal Health Coverage’, Onyekpere said the project is aimed at contributing to improvements in the realisation of the right to health in the country.

He said that the project, currently being implemented in seven focal states of Sokoto, Adamawa, Imo, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Bauchi and Rivers, harps on respect for extant laws and policies and the necessary reforms for more transparency and accountability in public health expenditures.

“Full-scale expansion of health insurance is pivotal to the attainment of universal health coverage so that more persons are covered and their health needs met. Protecting people from the financial hardship of having to make an out-of-pocket expenditure for health services reduces the risk of their sliding into poverty when unexpected ill health necessitates using up life savings, selling assets, or borrowing,’’ he said.

Also, the Executive Secretary of Imo State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Uchenna Ekwelike, urged Imo residents to enrol in Imo Care, a health insurance package of the state government, both manually and digitally at a largely affordable rate.

Ekwelike further explained that the package provides services, such as consultation with a primary physician, primary services and hospital admission, among others.

According to him, the four health insurance zones in the state are domiciled in Okigwe, Owerri and two others in Orlu.

The South-East Regional Manager of ProHealth, a Health Maintenance Organisation, Dr. Moses Uvie-Odeghe, said that the organisation’s health plan benefit package includes both individual and family plans.

He listed the benefits of the package to include eye, dental and wellness care, blood pressure and glucose checks, as well as counselling.

Wumi/Punch