By Asmau Ahmad
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has reiterated its commitment to provide financial protection to Nigerians in the event of ill health.
The NHIA Coordinator in Kaduna State, Malam Aminu Tanimu, gave the assurance in Kaduna on Tuesday.
He said that the authority has different health insurance packages for different categories of people in both the formal and informal sectors and that they are all aimed towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
According to him, there is a package for the formal sector, informal sector, community-based, retirees and undergraduates, among other packages for all categories of persons and individuals.
“This is to ensure that no one is left behind in the federal government’s efforts to provide health insurance cover for all citizens,” he said.
Tanimu urged Nigerians to embrace the programme and access quality healthcare services at affordable cost without exposure to financial risk.
He particularly urged Kaduna residents that are not covered by any of the NHIA packages to subscribe to the ‘Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme.’
He explained that GIFSHIP was designed for small-scale enterprises, associations, unions and institutions outside the organised private sector, self-employed individuals, families and groups.
Others, he said, were retiree and retiree associations, diaspora groups, foreigners living in the country, as well as those whose premium would be covered by philanthropists or members of the National Assembly.
The coordinator further explained that under the package, contributions for an individual with two dependents is 45,000 per annum, while a family of four would pay N60, 000, with each member of the family enrolled at N15, 000.
He said, “Group enrolment is pegged at N15, 000 per person per annum, with a minimum number of 10 persons per group, except small-scale enterprises with less than 10 employees. The benefit package is huge and can be accessed in any NHIA facility in any part of the country.”
Tanimu also said that the authority was doing all it could to improve the quality of services across NHIA accredited facilities in the country.
He said the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, NHIA, Prof. Nasiru Sambo, was already strengthening states with the required manpower – doctors, pharmacists, lab scientists, and nurses, among others.
Taminu further said that NHIA officials would be going round facilities to assess the level of service delivery available, adding that any facility found wanting would be sanctioned according to the NHIA guidelines.
He appealed to enrolees who are not satisfied with the quality of services provided or felt short changed to report to their Health Maintenance Organisations (HMO) or the nearest NHIA office, and gave an assurance that necessary actions would be taken.
