Akingbade Charts New Direction For NHIS
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has reiterated its resolve to improve accountability for resources, ensuring that end users are able to access health care without undue financial burden. This is in a re-invigorated effort to remove every impediment that may militate against the smooth achievement of Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria. Mr. ‘Femi Akingbade, acting Executive Secretary of the regulatory agency, emphasized the right of every Nigerian citizen across the country to affordable health care of good quality, and timely, where ever they are. This justifies the intention of NHIS to expand this also to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who face the challenges of health and limited health care services in humanitarian conditions. This is a key contribution to the efforts of the current administration to promote peace and security, and respond to the health needs of all Nigerians, even in fragile locations where there remains pockets of the insurgency. According to Akingbade, the quality of the nation’s human capital is significant in the determination of the socio-economic prosperity of the country, making it imperative for the government to continually create opportunities for the improvement of the human capital base. He therefore advised all stakeholders of the health insurance industry in Nigeria to commit themselves faithfully to their roles and responsibilities, especially as outlined in the Operational Guidelines of the Scheme, noting that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Akingbade emphasized that as the regulator of health insurance, the Scheme will improve its oversight on accountability, assuring that public funds provided to Health Maintenance Organizations will be protected, to guarantee the right of every enrollee to the agreed basic package of care provided through the NHIS. The NHIS Boss, who reminded players in the industry that the two most fundamental determinants of progress and success in health insurance are service-user satisfaction and enrollee uptake growth, re-affirmed the Scheme’s commitment to act firmly in matters of quality assurance and enforcement of prescribed standards. He frowned particularly against some Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), who receive public funds from NHIS for the purchase of healthcare for enrollees but end up not paying healthcare providers for services. He described this practice as a denial of access to health care and irresponsible, going well beyond corruption to outright theft of public funds. Such unaccountable actions will continue to attract severe sanction from the Scheme, and where applicable the Scheme will not hesitate to engage appropriate anti-crime agencies in its efforts to safe guard funding for health care. Akingbade, who disclosed that two HMOs were recently sanctioned for related offences, said the negative impact of such profligacy, if unchecked, will be severely felt in critical areas like growth and improvement of infrastructure, equipment and medical consumables in hospitals, as well as availability and quality of service to the enrollees. He hinted further that the Scheme will consider options in the application of technology to improve accountability for the resources provided to HMOs, and promote stakeholder engagement through access to information on disbursements, coverage and citizen’s satisfaction with services provided through HMOs and other registered providers. He called for collaboration of all stakeholders in the industry to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s health insurance industry, as defaulters will continue to face prescribed sanctions in the Scheme’s standard operating procedures and related guidelines.