The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Health Insurance

  • Community gets health insurance scheme

    Community gets health insurance scheme

    Firstbank Microfinance Bank and Optimal Healthcare Limited are bringing healthcare delivery to people’s doorsteps at Alagbado, a Lagos suburb for N200. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports

    With N200 per month, residents of Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, can now enjoy health insurance , courtesy of Firstbank Microfinance Bank and Optimal Healthcare Limited.

    The Community Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) will cover outpatients, family health service, such as obstetrics, child welfare services, health education classes, diet nutrition demonstration and weight loss/monitoring classes; preventive health and  breast/ cervical cancer screenings.

    A large crowd of motorcycle riders, welders, tailors, housewives, members of the Community Development Association (CDA), Council of Baale led by the Chairman, Chief Najim Ajolojuota and Chief Taofik Oje and representatives of schools attended the initiative’s launch in Alagbado.

    FBN MFB Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer  Mrs Pauline Nsa said her bank won’t watch people fall ill, and approach  for money to take care of themselves. But rather, it will assist people to access quality healthcare, so that they can come and do business with the bank.

    According to her, a principal beneficiary is expected to open an account with the FBN MFB from which a monthly deduction (capitation) of N00 per head monthly shall be deducted and the enrollee shall enjoy a wide range of primary healthcare services at the Optimal Medicare Centre, located within this Alagbado community for the next 12 months.

    “Normally, the payment of an NHIS approved capitation of N750 per enrollee per month may be too high for the typical family of father, mother and kids; and that is why there is low uptake so far. To help individuals and families cross the hurdle of payment of the capitation of N750, we are introducing a subsidy of N550/head/month.”

    She said her organisation shall provide the subsidy by a combination of donors and sponsors brought together by a common need and desire for them to fulfill their corporate social responsibility to the community, “we are pleased that FBN MFB is a major provider of the subsidy for this scheme, we are simply after well being, so healthy people can do business with us”, said Mrs Nsa.

    Optimal Healthcare Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Dr Femi Olaleye said his outfit was ready to  provide access to emergency medical care with no need for huge deposit; free medical checks; access to free malaria treatments and special gifts for deliveries. It is also good to know that there will be access to credit and microfinance loans for small business investments, and even to pay for hospital bills for treatments, for diseases not covered by the health insurance scheme.

    Dr Olaleye said his hospital believes the success of any inclusive healthcare model is dependent on meeting the funding gap, required to cater for the members of the society, who may not be able to pay significantly reduced tariffs and capitations that maybe asked them to pay, “In our case here at Alagbado, it is just N200 per head per month”, said Dr Olaleye.

    The Board of Trustees (BOT) are Segun Ojoade a Manager FBN MFB, Chinwe Onwuzwalo, Pastor Ifedayo Olusola as chairman, Pastor Godwin Oluwabori and Muideen Onipede.

  • MTN, others partner NHIS on health insurance

    MTN, others partner NHIS on health insurance

    MTN Nigeria has partnered Salt & Einstein MTS and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NIHS) to drive the penetration of insurance in the country through the mobile platform.

    Speaking yesterday at the flag-off of the pilot programme of the initiative, Chief executive Officer, MTN, Michael Ikpoki said the tripartite partnership is the first in the country, Africa and indeed, the world as it has not been done anywhere.

    He said the broader vision of the telco is lead a bold digital world and touch the lives of its numerous subscribers, adding that pursuing this lofty goal requires the innovation and coming up with unique products.

    He said the partnership was necessitated by the need to bridge the identified gap existing in affordable, accessible and cost-efficient insurance scheme in the country which would be attractive to many people.

    According to Ikpoki, with the payment of the premium of between N250 and N1000 per week, the subscriber is covered with insurance of about 80 per cent, stressing that in the event of an illness, all the insured needed to do was visit any of the health management organizations (HMOs) across the country.

    Executive Secretary/CEO, NHIS, Dr Femi Thomas said the step marks the beginning of the digitalization of health in the country, adding that the development will help drive Federal Government’s desire to deepen insurance penetration in the country.

    He lamented that formal sector insurance stands at 3.5million people up from 2.3million it used to be in January this year while informal sector insurance figure stood at 1.5million, adding that the partnership will leapfrog health delivery and accelerate penetration.

  • Health insurance for Abaji residents

    As part of its efforts to provide affordable healthcare delivery for the people, The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) has flagged off Health Insurance Scheme at Yaba Community in Abaji Area Council of the FCT.

    While flagging off the health insurance scheme and presentation of health insurance cards to registered residents of the community, the Co-ordinator of the scheme, Dr Grace Aganaba, advised them to avail themselves of the opportunity of the scheme to stay healthy at all times, so that they can contribute to the development of the community and entire council.

    According to Dr Aganaba, the FCT Administration, through the Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, has recognised the importance of healthcare delivery and therefore mandated that by 2015, every Nigerian must have a health insurance card, adding that it informed CBHIS taking it as a priority to ensure that every resident in communities of the FCT should have the health insurance card.

    “I must commend the motherly role of the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinkide, who has never relented in supporting this course, because of the importance she placed on health of people in the rural communities. We believe that, through this health insurance scheme, people in rural communities will live more healthy and improved lifestyle,” she said.

    Mrs Theresa Adah, Programme Officer Community Health, Christian Aid Nigeria, said it has been a common fact that many Nigerians, especially the rural dwellers, lack access to healthcare delivery because of lack of fund, saying that was the reason the community health insurance is the way forward for the people.

    “Whenever any one is sick, he or she can have access to healthcare at a very low cost. Today, we are happy the FCTA has made community-based insurance possible in our communities. We are committed to supporting any organisation that wants to replicate this scheme in any community across the country.

    “So, I urge any one that has not registered to do so and benefit from this affordable healthcare,” she said.

    Hajiya Zenab Mamam, in charge of Yaba Health Centre who explained that the health centre was inaugurated in January last year, said immediately the facility started functioning, most of the ceilings and the roofs started falling off.

    “When it rains, the entire clinic would be flooded. All the patients would stand up and sit on their beds, pending the time the rain stops. We also do not have electricity. When there is emergency in the health centre at night, we use lantern which is not ideal and safe. If we have electricity generating set, it would be better. We need the intervention of the FCTA in this regard,” she said.

  • Kwali gets committee on health insurance scheme

    Kwali gets committee on health insurance scheme

    A Board of Trustees and Management Committee have been set up by the Kwali Area Council to manage and co-ordinate the affairs of the Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme. This will enable residents have access to the scheme.

    Membership of the boards, which consisted of the chairman, secretary and public relations officer, were selected from the 50 communities in the area after each community sent two representatives. The meeting was organised by the Coordinator of CBHIS in the FCT,  in Kwali Area Council.

    Aganaba said the steps taken by CBHIS to take the health insurance scheme to the grassroots is in line with the presidential mandate, that by 2015, every Nigerian should be carrying an insurance card which will give them access to health, saying that the only way all Nigerians can have access to healthcare is by health insurance.

    “Fifty communities in Kwali are to enjoy this community-based health insurance scheme, and where there is no clinic, the malafia mobile truck is already available, and by March 1, they will start marching into these communities until we give them health centres. So many health centres will be renovated and help is coming from Shell, NHIS, PFIB, USAID and others.

    “But one assurance we want is the co-operation of the communities to get this through. That is why we are selecting few committee people among the communities to take charge of the management of the programme. After getting them, we will call all of them together from all the area councils and train them on what the scheme is all about.

    “The government is so much keen on improving the health standard of people at the grassroots so that they will be healthy. This is so because a healthy community is a developed community and a sickly community cannot achieve anything tangible in terms of development,” she said.

    The chairman of Kwali Area Council Mr. Ibrahim Daniel, praised the management of the CBHIS for the gesture in reaching out to the people at the grassroots to improve their health standard.

  • Area councils get health insurance cards

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration has kicked off its access to health programme of the FCT Area Council Health Insurance Scheme (FAHIS) for staff and residents of the six area councils.

    Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, launched the scheme at the Bwari Area Council Secretariat of the territory and handed over the health insurance cards to the six area council chairmen for distribution to the 6,000 families registered under the scheme across the area councils.

    She explained that the FCT Area Council Health Insurance Scheme was borne out of the need to bridge the wide disparity in health and healthcare services between FCT’s satellite and rural areas and urban centres.

    She noted that the disparity resulted from the challenges of access to health centres, low capacity of health care givers and scarcity of funds.

    ”The issue of low purchasing power among rural households because of the out-of-pocket option to health-care financing in FCT, as in other parts of the country, has contributed to making health care service delivery an uphill task. As a result, the capacity to respond to illnesses, which are often sudden and requiring direct payments, is lacking.

    ”The FCT Area Council Health Insurance Scheme was conceptualised on the principles of synergy, risk sharing and pooling of financial resources by stakeholders for the benefit of all participants. It is in line with the National Health Insurance Policy which aims to provide an effective alternative source of funding for health service in Nigeria,” Akinjide stated. She further noted that the health insurance scheme was designed to guarantee the provision of needed health services to residents on a partnership scheme that involves payment of only token contribution.

    The minister said the administration would continue to form strong partnership with the area council chairmen to improve the infrastructure, health and education levels in the area councils and satellite towns.

    The Chairman of the FCT Chapter of National Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr. Jibril Bello, praised the minister for initiating the FCT Area Council Health Insurance Scheme.

    Bello said the scheme would guarantee sustainable healthcare delivery in the area councils and satellite towns.

    ”We are very appreciative of the health insurance programme in the area councils and satellite towns. We would like to thank the Minister of State for FCT for mobilising the area council chairmen to be part of the laudable programme.

    ”We would also like to thank the minister for her intervention in preventing a strike action by the teachers over monetisation. The efforts of the minister in preventing a strike by the teachers and her supervisory role over the area councils are commendable and should be applauded,” the FCT NUT chairman stated.

     

  • Company launches private health insurance exchange

     Flexible Benefit Service Corporation (Flex) has launched its ‘Insure XSolutions’ private health insurance exchange. The private exchange promotes a defined contribution funding model that gives uninsured employers a way to set their own budget and assist employees with health care expenses.The Insure XSolutions web platform provides an online insurance marketplace where employees can shop, compare and apply for insurance plans that fit their personal needs.

    Available in select markets, InsureXSolutions is an ideal solution for employers currently not offering employee benefits. Employers simply allocate a fixed amount of funds for each employee.

    Employees can then login to the InsureXSolutions web portal for access to online quoting and comparison resources for individual and family insurance plans from various national and regional insurance companies. Once employees find the right plan, they use the InsureXSolutions online marketplace to directly apply for health insurance, Medicare, short-term insurance and/or vi
    sion insurance.

  • Health insurance scheme for rural communities

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has flagged off a Community-based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) in some selected rural communities in the territory.

    The scheme, which is a replica of FCT Health Insurance Scheme at area councils, is aimed at ensuring easy access of rural dwellers to health services at affordable cost. It is also aimed at achieving universal healthcare of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    Speaking at the flag-off of the scheme, Dr Grace Aganaba, a Programme Director at the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, said the scheme was a life-saving programme that was engineered towards alleviating the suffering of the poor and those who need health services most across the communities in the area councils.

    She said: “This community-based health insurance scheme is an emerging and promising concept packaged by FCT Health Insurance Scheme of Health Secretariat to address healthcare challenges being experienced by the rural poor in particular.

    Besides, this is a potential instrument designed to protect grassroots dwellers from the impoverishing effects of health expenditures for low-income populations.”

    She urged the people to make use of the opportunity and cooperate with the people that would be coming to the villages to take care of their health.