President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sacked the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Usman Yusuf.
The NHIS Board, headed by Ifenne Enyanatu, on October 18, said it had suspended the executive secretary after obtaining permission from Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, but on October 19, 2018, Yusuf defied the Governing Council and resumed at the headquarters of the NHIS in Abuja with the backing of policemen.
Recall that the NHIS former boss was suspended on the ground of misappropriation and later reinstated by the president.
The ministry of health, in a press statement signed by its director of media, Boade Akinola, said the termination of Yusuf’s appointment was based on the recommendation of a panel of enquiry which had been set up to investigate some of his activities while in office.
Buhari has approved the appointment of Mohammed Sambo as the new Executive Secretary of the agency.
“Following the recommendations of the report by the Independent Fact Finding Panel on National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Buhari has approved the termination of the appointment of the of the Yusuf who has been on administrative leave,” the release said.
“Similarly, the President also approved the dissolution of the governing board of the NHIS and directed the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health to exercise full powers of the council pending the constitution of a new board.
However, Health service delivery in Nigeria has endured one of its biggest squeezes due to silence over unresolved allegations of corruption in the sector.
Many Nigerians struggle to access healthcare services owing to the protracted crisis rocking the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which is preventing the body from properly monitoring the Health Management Organisations (HMOs).
Health experts have concerns about the slow progress in expanding care provision under the Scheme, calling on the government for a review of the NHIS Act noting that the new ACT must make NHIS compulsory for Nigeria’s healthcare delivery to move forward.
“Healthcare services have been very dull because the state governments that are supposed to key into NHIS have failed to respond and this has affected healthcare provisions generally,” experts.
“President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Chikwe Ihekweazu as Director –General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
“Ihekweazu’s reappointment is in line with the provisions of Section 11(1)(3) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(Establishment) Act, 2018, says Buhari.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
