Health Insurance: Face Your Regulatory Functions, HMCAN Tells NHIS

Posted on: Mon 05-09-2016

The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria has advised the National Health Insurance Scheme to concentrate on its regulatory functions.

The Chairman of HMCAN, Dr. Kolawole Owoka, who stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday, absolved the association of corruption.

He said that HMCAN took exception to a sweeping attack on it by the new Executive Secretary of the NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, saying the agency should “name and shame” health management organisations involved in corrupt practices.

Owoka stated, “There is no way anybody can wake up and say the HMOs are corrupt. We take exception to that. We are absolving the HMOs of corruption allegation by the executive secretary. If they see any HMO that is engaged in any form of corruption, let them name and shame them.”

Absolving health management associations of sharp practices, Owoka said the health insurance funds were with the NHIS.

He asked, “How can you say we are misappropriating funds that are not with us? He should not put that on our doorsteps. What we are saying is very simple. The NHIS pays every three months, so that we can pay hospitals. If you know me as an HMO that I have not paid hospitals, why should you give me another one after three months?”

He said that the new executive secretary should beam his light on the NHIS, which was keeping the health insurance fund.

The HMCAN chairman added, “They (NHIS) leave their jobs and are looking for other things to do. They should confine themselves to their jobs. When will go out to market, we meet them marketing.

“Why are they marketing? They are regulators. That is why they cannot carry out their regulatory work. That is why they are painting everybody (black).”

He recalled that the NHIS de-accredited an HMO last year because it was found wanting, adding that there was no way an HMCAN member would owe health care providers, if the regulatory agency was performing its functions.

Owoka added that the HMCAN was happy with the appointment of the new executive secretary.

He stated that the new head of the NHIS should ensure that the agency faced its core regulatory work. The HMCAN chairman said that the NHIS‘s attention had shifted from growing the scheme to growing the money.

This, he said, had affected the expansion of the scheme.

Owoka recalled that when the NHIS started, a certain percentage of the fund was set aside for developing an information and communication technology platform.

According to him, the NHIS will effectively perform its functions if it has a robust ICT platform, through which it can effectively monitor health management organisations.

“I learnt that money (ICT) has accumulated to more than N18bn with the NHIS. That money should be used for robust ICT. The NHIS does not need to go through stress in doing its regulatory work,” he said.

Owoka said that the new executive secretary had accepted a suggestion of HMCAN that a technical committee should be set up to reposition the NHIS.

By: Niyi Odebode, Abuja

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