The Nation Newspaper

Tag: health scheme

  • Kwara keeps N200m for health scheme

    The Kwara State government has set aside N200 million, under the Kwara State Health Insurance Fund (KHIS), to fund its health insurance scheme, it was learnt yesterday.

    Governor AbdulFath Ahmed, who spoke in Ilorin at the launch of KHIS, said the scheme provides low, affordable premium and associated quality healthcare.

    “With a daily contribution of N25, no more will citizens and residents of Kwara State be unable to access critical treatment because they cannot afford to pay hospital fees or buy prescribed drugs,” he said.

    The governor stressed that his administration is committed to contributing one per cent of annual Consolidated Revenue Fund to subsidise premiums and service delivery to those considered part of the poorest in the society.

    He said: “We are boosting the scheme with 40 per cent of funds received through the “Saving One Million Lives Performance for Results Initiative” – an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health, supported by the World Bank and targeted at the improving maternal and child health in Nigeria.”

    Executive Secretary of the KHIS Dr. Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter said registration will begin on August 2 in the 193 wards in the state.

  • FG launches health scheme for 8m Nigerians

    No fewer than eight millions Nigerians in rural areas, including pregnant women and children, will benefit from Basic Healthcare Provision Fund slated to take off in January 2018.

    The pilot scheme of the programme kicks off in Niger, Osun and Abia.

    Minister of Health Professor Isaac Adewole stated this yesterday in Minna during a workshop to finalise modules and modality of the programme.

    He assured Basic Healthcare Provision Fund will be the largest social welfare programme the nation has ever had.

    According to him, success in three pilot states would lead to its commencement in other states.

    The Minister, who was represented by his Technical Assistant, Dr. Oyebanji Felani, disclosed N1.2 billion would be released to the three states for commencement of the programme.

     

  • Ogun to launch new health scheme

    Ogun to launch new health scheme

    The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, will tomorrow, Monday 11th July, 2016, declare open a new health scheme christened “Araya Scale Up”. The project is a  Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHS), meant to provide affordable health care service delivery to members of the publics.

    A release signed by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, stated that the programme will be launched by the State Governor at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, by 12pm. He enjoined all Commissioners, Special Advisers, government functionaries and Permanent  Secretaries of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to be seated by 10am.

    The release indicated that the scheme is also aimed at rendering good and qualitative healh care services to the people of the state at reasonable and affordable cost that will avail them the opportunity to access health care services for the whole year.

  • Military retirees advised to access health scheme

    Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML), the Health Maintenance Organisation, for the Armed Forces, has said health insurance for retired military personnel registered under the scheme is free.

    The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Commodore Ahmed Abdullahi (retd), spoke with reporters at a military pension stakeholders’ forum in Abuja yesterday.

    According to Abdullahi, the Federal Government pays the premium of the health insurance to hospitals every year.

    He said the organisation was established by the Federal Government to administer health insurance to members of the Armed Forces and ex- servicemen.

    “In 2012, the Federal Executive Council brought the Armed Forces retirees under the scheme and made provisions for their healthcare.

    “This department takes care of a substantial part of the burden of healthcare for retirees and it is not based on deductions from their pensions; the government pays for it 100 per cent.

    “We have about 300 hospitals under our scheme across the country, which take care of the registered retirees and their spouses,’’ he said.

    Abdullahi said the scheme was also designed to cater for widowers and widows as well as retirees’ four biological children under the age of 18.

    He called on those who had yet to register with the scheme to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the Federal Government through the scheme.

    Abdullahi said the challenge was that of understanding because the National Health Insurance Scheme “is a novel idea in this country and the problem is comprehension.

    “Sometimes it is being misunderstood, some are still foot-dragging to come on board.

    “We have been doing jingles and meeting them at different fora but there has been this misunderstanding that it is being deducted from their pay, which is not.

    “We monitor and evaluate the hospitals before we link them; they know they earn a substantial amount from us.

    “We are calling on retirees to come on board and take advantage of what government has provided for them,” Abdullahi said.

     

    He said that all military retirees would enjoy better healthcare services under DHML insurance scheme

     

  • Artistes storm launch of health scheme

    Entertainers, on Tuesday, March 3, gathered for the official take-off of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS) which held at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The media unveiling was attended by artistes such as DJ Jimmy Jatt, Gbenga Adeyinka, Tony Okoroji, Patrick Doyle, Yemi Solade, Efe Omorogbe, Cally Ikpe, Mr. Raw Nwanne, Ara, Puffy T, DJ Gosporella, Charles Granville and many others.

    The event, which was hosted by comedian Koffi, also had in attendance, influential media practitioners like the Head of Trace TV Anglophone Africa, Mr. Sam Onyemelukwe, as well as top executives of partner HMOs from Healthcare International and United Healthcare International.

    In his address, coordinator of the scheme, Seun Apara, spoke about some of the processes and challenges the organising team went through before arriving at the unveiling. “Today is not the day of long speeches but a day to announce to our industry that easy and affordable healthcare is now available to them throughout the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory. We are happy that after a year of trying to institutionalise proper and organised health care delivery system to our industry, we are glad that we have moved several milestones beyond where we started”.

    MD/CEO of Healthcare International, Dr. Tosin Awosika, took the centre stage after Apara , speaking highly of the NEIHI scheme while also commending the initiators for their doggedness and determination to bring the scheme to fruition. “With all the hard labour and selfless sacrifices that have been put into bringing this scheme to existence, I expect everybody in this industry to enroll to it and enjoy the immense benefits.”

    Stakeholders like Okoroji, Doyle, Omorogbe, Adeyinka and Solade also took turns to encourage all and sundry to pay important attention to their health by enrolling under the private customised scheme, as it covers them in all the 36 states of the country.

    Omorogbe made it known that he had already enrolled in the scheme and did same for his staff before the launch, saying he understands the importance of what has just been created. Some participants at the event showed readiness for the scheme by picking up enrollment form.

  • Labour unions urged to embrace health scheme

    Labour unions urged to embrace health scheme

    Labour leaders in Plateau State have been urged to encourage their members to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure quicker access to healthcare services for them and members of their families at almost no cost to them.

    Speaking in Jos at a two-day interactive forum with Labour leaders, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of the Scheme, Alhaji Alkali Ibrahim equally urged the workers to join.

    The forum was organised by the North Central Zone of the Scheme.

    Alhaji Ibrahim reiterated embracing the scheme was beneficial to both participating States and the enrollees who stand to gain from the objectives of the Scheme.

    He said participation in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will accrue money to States and the participants and ensure better health care facilities for improved healthcare services to the people and called on the workers to embrace the scheme wholeheartedly.

    He explained that the objectives of the scheme are to ensure that every Nigerian had access to good health care service, protect families from the financial hardship of huge medical bills, limit the rise in the cost of health care services, ensure equitable distribution of health care cost among different income groups, maintain high standard of health care delivery services within the scheme among others.

    Ibrahim stressed that the objectives could only be achieved if all concerned keyed into the scheme.

    Responding on behalf of the organised Labour unions in the state, the Secretary, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Ade Akinbo said the scheme is a laudable initiative that must be keyed into by the state government and embraced by the workforce.

    The Labour scribe urged government at all levels to as a matter of urgency fully key into the scheme so that the workforce could enjoy the dividend of democracy by getting access to improved healthcare at subsidized cost.

    The forum saw participants asking questions and getting clarifications of areas where they had doubts with participants promising to enlighten others on the need to embrace the NHIS.