In furtherance of the serial consultations for consensus building and support generation among stakeholders towards an effective take off of his administration, especially in the face of the challenge to reposition the Scheme for optimal service delivery, the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf has paid an advocacy visit to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba.
Professor Yusuf used the opportunity to reassure all Nigerian workers through the leadership of the NLC, that his stewardship at the Scheme shall be credible and purposeful.
According to him, his mandate as custodian of the people’s commonwealth will not be betrayed or compromised, just as he pledged that there would be no room for any stakeholder to take undue advantage of the enrolee.
“Under my watch, the enrolee shall be the key figure. All that we do in the system must be in his best interests, while his rights under the scheme shall be respected and defended”, he said.
The NHIS boss therefore requested the full cooperation and support of the leadership of the labour movement and indeed all Nigerian workers, in the renewed efforts to make the Scheme deliver service to them in top quality. Addressing the spate of complaints about the perceived poor quality of service by stakeholders in the health insurance industry, Professor Yusuf appealed to all Nigerians for patience and understanding, assuring that NHIS will henceforth assert its regulatory authority, in a manner that will ensure that all players keep within the laws and operational guidelines of the Scheme.
Yusuf declared “I am going to be the Executive Secretary of the enrolee. I will watch his back and protect his rights”. In his remarks, the President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba described the appointment of Professor Yusuf as well made, in view of his vast international exposure in healthcare delivery, urging him to take immediate action to restore the credibility of the Scheme.
He expressed the concern of the Nigerian workforce about the limited scope of the current benefit package of the Scheme, and appealed for its expansion as the Scheme and its funds grow.
The NLC president also called on the Federal Government to exempt the funds of NHIS from Treasury Single Account (TSA), because the funds are contributions of the Nigerian workers and not revenue accruing to the government.
Comrade Ayuba, who advocated stiff sanctions against stakeholders who abuse rules and standards, cited the case of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), reported to be in breach of trust to the tune of Ninety Million Naira (N90, 000, 000.00), and urged the Executive Secretary to ensure that the matter is properly investigated by the appropriate agencies.
While calling for the strengthening of Community Based Social Health Insurance Programme (CBSHIP), in the country, he called for rapid expansion of the Scheme, such that students, pensioners, the aged and other vulnerable classes can enjoy coverage.
Wabba recalled the involvement of the NLC at the inception of the Scheme, as well as his personal contributions to the evolution of NHIS as a former member of the Governing Council of the Scheme.
In the same vein, he commended the initiatives of former Health Minister, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, which guaranteed the smooth take off of the agency in 2005, as well as while he served much later as Chairman of its Governing Council.
Ayo Osinlu
Head, Media & Public Relations Division
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