NHIS Spends N4b Monthly On Healthcare Services

Chinasa Agwunobi, Head, Accreditation and Inspectorate Department, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), said the scheme spent about N4 billion monthly for the provision of health care services.

Agwunobi said this while addressing participants at a one-day forum held in Enugu recently for health care providers.

She said it was part of efforts at attaining the MDGs of securing adequate health care delivery by the year 2015 that the event was organised by “Managed Healthcare Services Ltd’’.

“Nigeria signed the MDGs declaration and currently using NHIS to solve health care problems, especially in reducing infant and maternal mortality as well as improve health care for vulnerable groups,’’ the NHIS official said.

Agwunobi said under the community social health insurance scheme, contributors were expected to pay N9,000 annually to enjoy the scheme.

She said under the formal sector, a contributor would be required to pay 10 per cent of his monthly wage on drugs administered during sickness.

Agwunobi warned that NHIS would not hesitate to sanction any health care provider that engaged in any form of sharp practices.

In her paper entitled “Patients Satisfaction’’, Dr Funke Ijimakin, South East Regional Manager of MHS, identified patients satisfaction as a necessary factor in ensuring good health care service.

She advised health care providers to plan effectively, educate their staff on benefits of good public relations, care passionately for their patients as well as create an efficient feedback mechanism to enable them to assess their performances.

Ijimakin stressed the need for regular capacity building and networking among medical practitioners so as to share experiences to improve on their performances.

She said that about N2.5 million was being spent monthly on hospital bills to no fewer than 2,801 hospitals for 48,631 patients accessing the NHIS through their services.

“Hospitals have no right to deny any patient treatment under this scheme, provided he or she has the NHIS identity card using our service,’’ she explained.

The forum was attended by doctors, pensioners, media practitioners, representatives of government, private and mission hospitals as well as other stakeholders.

Dr Clifford Okafor, a provider of NHIS service, noted that the scheme was a positive development that would fast-track provision of affordable health care to Nigerians.

Mrs. Ifeoma Udo, a beneficiary thanked the federal government for initiating the scheme but suggested that severe medical cases like cancer, diabetes and major surgeries should be accommodated in the scheme.