‘Femi Thomas, the executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has stated that the Scheme is set to launch Community Based Health Insurance Programme (CBHIP) in at least three local government areas of each state of the federation before the end of the year.
He made this disclosure at the official flag-off of the Ukana West Ward II Community Based Health Insurance Scehme, which took place at the Primary Health Centre in Ikot – Ideh in Essien Udim LGA of Akwa Ibom State, recently.
According to the NHIS Boss, “the Scheme is aware that the country has a very large informal sector and therefore there is no way we can achieve the presidential mandate of 30 percent coverage without tapping into the informal sector.
“The CBHIP is therefore a veritable tool to ensuring wider coverage, increased ownership and entrenching the culture of health insurance in the Nigerian public,” he said.
He further stated that the scheme is ready to invest money and other material resources to develop the Community Based Health Insurance Programme all over the country.
“To this end, the scheme has mandated all its offices in the states to develop the programme in at least three LGAs before the end of the year,” Thomas stated.
He used the forum to appeal to the state governors to invest more resources towards developing and sustaining the culture of health insurance in their states, rather than the various intervention programmes in the health sector which may not be sustainable on the long run.
“The scheme,” he said, “has donated an ambulance to the Ikot-Ideh PHC, so as to demonstrate the standard that the scheme expects state governments to maintain in all the PHC Centres where CBHI will be domiciled in all the states of the federation.
Speaking at the occasion, the Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, who was represented by Emem Abasi Bassey, the state commissioner of health, said the commitment of the government to the social contract which existed between it and the people of the state made the flag off a reality.
The Governor stated that the launch of the CBSHIP is driven by the strong desire to ensure that effective and affordable healthcare is accessible to every person in the state, as it will relief the people of the financial burden associated with health seeking activities, particularly at the point of care.
Earlier in her welcome address, Zipporah Kpamor, the country representative of Management Sciences for Health (MSH), an arm of USAID, said the organisation, which is a key technical partner of the state on healthcare financing, has facilitated the formation of a Technical Working Group that will co-ordinate and sustain the implementation of the CBSHIP programme.
She said the organisation has revived Village Development Committees in the 15 villages that make up the Ukana West Ward11, as well as the Ward Development Committee in the area, for community ownership of the project.
