The Nigerian Medical Association has urged the Federal Government to evolve a policy that will include the care of unknown patients in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Dr Saliu Oseni, Chairman, Lagos State chapter of the NMA, made the call in a statement in commemoration of the 2019 Physicians’ Week on Tuesday in Lagos.
The Physicians’ Week is an annual event of the association that holds nationwide between October 14 and October 19.
Oseni said that the state chapter would hold a scientific conference on October 16 with the theme: “Care of the Unknown Patient: Policy Overview and Review”.
He decried the absence of an existing policy in the care of unknown patients which had denied such patients easy access to qualitative health care in private and public hospitals.
“We know that a lot of these patients are brought to the hospital by good Samaritans who are not expected to be responsible for the bills incurred after treatment.
“A lot of these cases are victims of road traffic accidents; consequently access to care might be delayed as the provider is worried about who pays the bills.
“This means even where there is a private hospital close by, access to care may not be guaranteed,” he said.
Oseni advocated the inclusion of care of the unknown patient in the insurance scheme, nothing that the approach would help pay the bill from the fund made available to the states by the federal government.
“Sixteen states including the Federal Capital Territory received N6.5 billion in September from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
“Availability of this fund to cater for these patients will give easy access to qualitative health care in private and public hospitals and help save more lives.
The NMA chairman further said that discussion and solutions to curb the rising incidence of suicide in the country would also be a focal discussion at the conference.
He said that the role of NMA had become important as the incidence of suicide had risen significantly with sad stories of students killing themselves due to examination failures.
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