NHIA reviews production of drugs for enrollees   

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) on Thursday says it is working toward the production of drugs exclusively for its enrollees, in partnership with pharmaceutical companies in the country. It further said that the move was to make drugs readily available to its enrollees and reduce the cost for them. Ms Mariam Badmus, a Pharmacist with the NHIA in Osun state, said this during a one-day interactive forum for security and uniformed service personnel in the state.

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Badmus, who educated participants on what to know about NHIA drugs, said that the authority, through its Drug Supply Initiative, had commenced discussions with pharmaceutical companies for partnership in producing NHIA-branded drugs.

“The initiative is to make drugs more available and accessible, eradicate out-of-stock syndrome and change the perception of enrollees about the drugs being dispensed to them, among other issues,” she said.

She also said that the NHIA, in November 2021, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Roach Pharmaceuticals to produce anti-cancer drugs, which were made available at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan to enrollees in the South-West.

She said that Pfrizer Pharmaceuticals, in October 2022, was also asked to produce Critical care medicine (Meropenem) for enrollees receiving critical health care at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Osun and UCH.

Badmus said that the production of the critical and expensive drugs by the two pharmaceutical companies was through the NHIA Cost Sharing Partnership agreement.

In a remark, Mrs Nafisah Adekunle, Osun NHIA State Coordinator, said that the forum was organised for stakeholders to have an interaction on how the best of health insurance healthcare could be provided and accessed.

The participants at the forum included representatives of the Police, Army, DSS, NSCDC, FRSC, Federal Fire Service, Health Management Organisations and healthcare facilities’ owners, among others.

NAN/Wumi