By Muhammad Jamil Abubakar/ Abdulaziz Ibrahim Hassan.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has assured that the agency will ensure that every Nigerian irrespective of their socioeconomic status, has access to affordable and good quality health care in the country.
Speaking during a one-day stakeholder’s interactive session organised for desk officers of MDAs and Health care Facilities HCF, the Gombe State Coordinator Dr Ahmad Usman said the Authority is working to address bottlenecks that will hinder the effective implementation of the National Health Insurance Act, 2022 which has made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.
Dr Ahmad Usman said the interactive session became imperative considering the services the authority provides through the Health Management Organizations HMOs by providing financial access to healthcare services.
He said in Gombe State, the authority has made significant progress in creating awareness and sensitizing the public on the need to enrol on the scheme.
Dr Ahmad Usman Said that the Formal Sector Health Insurance Program has enrolled about 45 thousand enrollees into its poll while significant progress has been made in the State Health Insurance Scheme, Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the Tertiary Health Institution Programme for Students of Tertiary Institutions.
The Coordinator also advocated for the inclusion of people from the informal sector by coming together in a group of 10 people and above to enrol and have access to affordable and good quality healthcare in the country.
Also speaking during the interactive session, the NHIA desk officer at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Mohammed Goje, emphasized the hospital’s commitment to ensuring that enrollees receive high-quality healthcare at an affordable cost.
He noted that the management of the tertiary health institution is presently constructing the NHIA Complex which will incorporate modern information communication tools, facilitating efficient work management without hindrance.
Mohammed Goje also took the opportunity to commend the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for organizing quarterly stakeholder forums which he believes will play a significant role in resolving numerous issues affecting health insurance and in enhancing universal health coverage not only in Gombe State but in the country at large.
