Recession threatens Nigeria’s health insurance scheme

Nigeria’s health insurance scheme is under threat as a combination of inadequate funding from the public sector and poor capitations to doctors compound problems in the sector.

Capitations which represent fixed amount of money per unit of time paid in advance to the physician, clinic or hospital for the delivery of healthcare services payments are at an all-time low, hence health practitioners are advocating public private partnerships to fund healthcare.

Umar Sanda, national president of Healthcare Provider Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), with the theme “Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Economic Recession” held in Lagos, called for deeper commitment from the government.

“Some challenges facing the health care provider with NHIS are the issue of capitations in this recession. It is not enough to buy anything; who among you will go to a private hospital on a private basis and be treated for malaria with only N760?”

He said further, “You cannot even buy anti-malaria for N760 but we as service providers in an insurance scheme, we pull money together to treat people. But this can be improved; hence we are calling on government to assist.”

Speaking in the same vein, Nike Olaniba, immediate past president of HCPAN said that  the economic recession has created a sort of financial constrain for healthcare providers as this is affecting the quality of care they can provide for enrolee.

“We are advocating that government should revisit that act and make health insurance compulsory to all citizens. That is what is available in other countries that can achieve 90 and even 100 percent of healthcare coverage,” Olaniba said.

Olumide Akintayo, former president Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria (PAN) said, “The health sector needs to be energized and the government needs to put the necessary framework in place. For instance, today we have national health tasks, the health tasks as an act of parliament show probably most supreme health legislature in Nigeria.

“There are provisions in the health act that have recommended 1 percent consolidated funding for healthcare in Nigeria. A significant 50 percent of that 1 percent is to be channelled to the national health insurance scheme to energize and drive health insurance.”

According to Akintayo, “Coverage for a programme that we have run since 2006 for more than 10 years is still low as 3.5 percent. What we need to do to address the issue is to go back to the drawing board. Like I said, the enable act is a good document, which we need to implement properly the way it should be and do things that can enhance the theme concept. Let us begin to have a social health insurance act agenda that is anchored on lawful payment mechanism.”

 

TIAMIYU ADIO