Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has urged Nigerians to embrace Health Insurance Scheme to improve healthcare delivery across the country.
Ngige stated this at the just concluded 2nd board and management retreat of ProHealth HMO (Health Maintenance Organisation) Limited, organised by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), in Gora, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria.
The retreat which had its theme as, “Nigeria health insurance ecosystem: the place of Pro-Health HMO limited” aims at re-strategising and repositioning the health sector for better performance and provision of qualitative service delivery to the enrollees.
The Labour Minister who was represented by the Board Chairman, NSITF, Emmanuel Nwosu said having health insurance would go a long way in reducing the challenges of accessing affordable and quality healthcare services.
Ngige highlighted some of the challenges facing Health Insurance in Nigeria, they have made it difficult for Nigerians to access affordable healthcare.
He said; “the Nigeria healthcare sector has been facing numerous challenges over the years including inadequate funding, law insurance penetration, and inadequate infrastructure. These challenges have made it difficult for many Nigerians to access affordable and quality healthcare services.”
On the role of Health Management Organisations, he said “however, the emergence of Health Management Organisations like Prohealth has played a crucial role in bridging the gap. Prohealth HMO has been at the forefront of providing access to quality healthcare for Nigerians by partnering with healthcare providers to provide affordable healthcare services to its enrollees.
“This retreat presents an opportunity for us to deliberate on the challenges faced by the Nigeria health insurance sector in providing affordable healthcare services and how Prohealth HMO can continue to innovate and provide quality healthcare services to its enrollees”
NSITF
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of NSITF, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa said “Nigeria is working towards ensuring that the nation’s healthcare system meets the global standards through the Nigeria Health Insurance Authority (NSHI) Act, 2022.”
She noted that the Nigerian government has provided guaranteed access to quality and affordable healthcare while healthcare provider, ProHealth HMO serves as a bridge between Nigerians and the healthcare providers by managing the provisions of standard healthcare services.
Mrs Allagoa urged Nigerians to embrace and subscribe to the HMO for an affordable, accessible and sustainable healthcare delivery system while emphasizing the importance of Health insurance.
She said; “the importance of health insurance in Nigeria can never be over-emphasised as it cushions the potential negative impact of the persistent underfunding in the health sector. It provides financial risk protection for Nigerians by ensuring the availability of a pool of funds for the provision of their healthcare needs.”
Highlighting the role of the NSITF in ensuring social security, Mrs Allagoa said;
“This is for the whole world to know that we have come of age, and we are dropping this from the bottom of our hearts as nipping the bud at this point. I want to say that by section 17 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended, adequate medical and health facilities for Nigerians is guaranteed through the section of our constitution.
“The only way to realise this objective is through social security. At the height of this social security, is what NSITF is leading and NSITF is the pioneer social security organisation leading this. The provision of an efficient healthcare system with modern health facilities requires enormous capital and resources. The global best practices endorsed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are through a social insurance scheme and this is driven by one of our subsidiaries, that is the ProHealth HMO.”
The 3-day retreat was for the orientation of the newly appointed Directors of Pro Health HMO Limited and management of NSITF.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
