Posted on: Thu 23-01-2025

The Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, has said that a total of 1,629 women have so far undergone free fistula surgery treatment across the country.

Ohiri disclosed this at the second steering committee meeting of NHIA fistula free programme held in Abuja at the conference room of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

He said the programme which is in its six months has already recorded impactful milestones and touched the lives of poor women.

“So what have we done so far? So right now, about 1629 beneficiaries have been verified and paid for between the last six months of the launch to date, but that’s just a number that we have verified and paid for. Number of claims submitted is over almost 2000.”

Speaking further on the programme, the DG said it is aimed at supporting all women in Nigeria who are living with obstetric fistula, irrespective of the geopolitical location.

Ohiri said that NHIA was working with the State Health Insurance Scheme to ensure that beneficiaries are enrolled into health insurance after the surgery , adding that the NHIA intends to expand its engagement with civil society, who are best positioned to work with the communities to ensure that their livelihoods are fully restored.

“It means that we have to leverage existing infrastructure work with stakeholders to make sure that they are included, and then, thirdly, make sure that inclusion mechanisms some of these people, it’s not just a medical issue they face,” he said.

Earlier, the Coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate who chaired the meeting said the programme had seen a significant change in terms of the care and the remediation the women who have obstetric fistula have received.

SOURCE: THIS DAY NEWSPAPER

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