Health insurance for Lagosians

Dr Akintade (middle) with executive members of the association. From left: Auditor, Joshua Ajewole; member, Olawale Oladibu, Vice Chairman, Mrs Abiola Ozieh; Chairman, Publicity Secretary, Akujuobi Igwe and Rev. Sis Rita Ogidan at the briefing.

Lagos residents are to enjoy a health insurance scheme, Community Based Social Health Insurance Programme (CHIBSP).

According to the Chairman, Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Lagos branch, Dr Shehu T. Akintade, at a briefing on its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), the government has concluded plans to initiate CBSHIP in the state.

He said: “Even though it is starting as a pilot programme at designated local government areas, if Lagos gets this programme running well, other states will buy into it and plan the health of their citizens, with consequent improvement of health indices of Nigeria as a whole.”

He continued: “HCPAN’s aim, among others, is to ensure successful operation of health insurance in Nigeria so as to improve the health indices of the nation. And also, maintain high standard of health care delivery and provide quality care for the enrollees at affordable cost.

“To ensure the right message is passed to residents on CBSHIP, the association has strategically chosen the theme: “Community based social health insurance – practical approach in Lagos State,” for the AGM holding at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba holding on Thursday.

He said: “Not everybody is a Federal civil servant that is enrolled on NHIS. States find it difficult to key into NHIS, and Lagos is yet to as well. About two states started, but pulled out. Since inception of the NHIS, about six per cent of the population has been covered and all of this is from the Federal Government’s employees while less than two per cent is under managed care.

“If we all states participate in this scheme, we expect about 20 per cent coverage, even though we still have large numbers from organised private sector (OPS) that are likely to come up under managed care. But we need the legislature to prompt them. For the CBSHIP, any organisation with more than 10 staff will be mandated to key into it.”