Wednesday, October 16, 2013
NHIS Advises Beneficiaries to Demand their Rights 10 Oct 2013 Font Size: a/ A National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) ByGodwin Haruna One of the factors that would ensure efficient service delivery under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is for beneficiaries to know and protect their rights, especially at the point of demand. The Acting Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Abdulrahman Sambo, stated this in Abuja at a forum for persons accessing health care under the scheme. According to him, it was important for Nigerians to know the privileges they are entitled to and seek always to ensure they received quality, prompt and courteous service. Sambo further stated that the benefit package in operation under the scheme was comprehensive in addressing the basic health needs of patients in its coverage, stressing that the exclusion of certain conditions did not take away from the values of the package. Sambo, who was represented at the occasion by General Manager, Technical Operations, Dr. Hope Uweja, noted that the fundamental laws of economy of scales determined the scheme’s approach to high expenditure conditions like cancer and HIVAIDS, pointing out that other agencies of government were already saddled with responsibility for such issues. In response to a question on extension of health coverage to retired persons, Sambo said that the programme for retirees was fully developed but that the basic challenge was who pays on their behalf, considering that the Scheme is run on a contributory basis. Reacting to questions by participants who demanded to know the fate of their children who had been removed from benefitting due to age, he said they could be re-enlisted as extra-dependants at the cost of Nine Thousand Naira per annum. Answering another question, he said that drugs dispensed under the scheme are “generic” which met medical standards, just like branded drugs. He assured enrolees that the quality of service at all points within the operations of the Scheme will be upheld. “I would like to assure you that the scheme will continue to work to guarantee improvements in service delivery to our dear enrolees…” He expressed the determination of the Scheme to continue working towards improving the health status of Nigerians, emphasizing that the forum was one such way of finetuning the process of service delivery. He confirmed that similar forums will be held by the Scheme around the country on a more frequent note, to protect enrollees’ right to enjoy access to information about the operations of the scheme.
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