NHIS To Enroll 45 million Nigerians, Targets HIV Patients

As part of its concern for
the health and well-being of Nigerians, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has said that it would enroll a huge number of about 45 million Nigerians under its cover in the year 2016.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the scheme, Femi Akingbade, who revealed this to journalists in Abuja, Monday, noted that the current enrollment rate was low and stressed the need for an increase to achieve a wholesome health care delivery to Nigerians.
While noting that the scheme was targeted at ensuring affordable healthcare access by Nigerians, Akingbade  stated that it has also become necessary to include state government workers.
He said, “next year, we are looking at a total minimum of 40 to 45 million people.  As at this year, we have a total figure of about 7.9 million people which is what we will probably close the year with.  This cuts across the formal sector programme, the tertiary institutions, community-based and social health insurance that are under the NHIS”.
Akingbade also stated that plans are under way to collaborate with the National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA) for a package for People living with HIV/AIDS.
“HIV is covered to some extent in the benefit package that we are running right now. NHIS is starting collaboration with NACA to see how we can actually create a benefit package that will take care of people living with HIV.  We are all aware that the funds from international donors are dwindling. We have about 700,000 people currently on drugs with about 3.4 million people in country living with AIDs. If care is not taken and we allow the rest of the people to feel that they are not receiving succor anywhere, the successes that the country has so far recorded might be threatened”, he maintained.
The NHIS Acting Executive Secretary further urged Nigerians to partner with the scheme in order to an “healthcare delivery for all”.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu