NHIS covers only four per cent of Nigeria’s population – Expert

A medical doctor, Dr. Kayode Obembe, on Friday claimed that only four
per cent of Nigerians were covered by the National Health Insurance
Scheme.
Obembe made the claim in Ibadan,t eh Oyo State capital, while
delivering a lecture entitled: “The National Health Insurance Scheme –
The Way Forward.”
The event was organised by the Oyo State Chapter of the Nigerian
Medical Association as part of a one-day continuous medical education
initiative.
Obembe, who operates a Health Maintenance Organisation, called on the
Federal Government to expand the scheme’s coverage through the
improvement of the Community-Based Social Health Insurance Scheme.
He said that this would improve health coverage in the country while
ensuring quality and affordable health care delivery for all.
He said: “NHIS is not as elitist as people think because it is
actually meant for the community.
“That is where there is 70 per cent of the Nigerian population.
“Until we get these 70 per cent into the scheme, we would still be
trailing behind in comparison to other countries in the world.”
Obembe added that the fiscal capacity for health, which was 15 per
cent of the national budget, had not been exhausted.
“If we roll that out to the community level, we can reach that 100 per
cent coverage target by 2015,” he said.
Obembe said that most of the beneficiaries presently included 99 per
cent of government employees
He, however, said that any potential enrollee, not part of the formal
sector, could still benefit through the Voluntary Contributor Health
Insurance Service.
Obembe also commended the Federal Government for its support to the
NHIS since its inception.
He said: “The implementation has been excellent.
“The accounts of the HMOs are audited regularly while the capitation
to health providers has been paid on a monthly basis without default.”
He recommended that the NHIS should also cover treatment of life
threatening diseases through government’s increase of premium.
Obembe also urged all medical practitioners to have the wellbeing of
patients at heart, arguing that their satisfaction remained the
ultimate goal.
NAN reports that the scheme, established under Act 35 of 1999 by the
Federal Government, provides easy access to healthcare for Nigerians
at affordable costs through various prepayment systems.