The House of Representatives has urged the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to direct all Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to pay, within three (3) months, all outstanding debts owed all healthcare providers in Nigeria.
It also urge the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to ensure that private Medical Practitioners should, as a matter of urgency register their clinics with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as accredited health providers of medical services.
The Green Chamber mandated the Committees on Health Institutions and Healthcare Services to carry out holistic review of the NHIS to encourage more participation by Nigerians with a view to attainment of Universal Health Coverage for Nigerians and report back within six (6) weeks for further legislative action.
The House reached this resolutions Wednesday during plenary following motion on; ‘Failure of the National Health Insurance Scheme to Function Optimally, moved by Valentine Ayika (PDP, Anambara and five others
Presenting the motion on behalf of others, Ayika said, the House notes that the NHIS was established by an act of the National Assembly to ensure that every Nigerian has access to quality and affordable health care service through the provision of affordable health insurance.
He stated that the House is aware that the Scheme has a Presidential mandate to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2015 but has failed in that regard, as available information shows that it currently boasts of a little over 6 million enrollees as at 2019 despite regular budgetary allocations.
Ayika added that, “the House also aware that 50% of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund which represents 1% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Government available for the Scheme, part of which was released in May 2019, yet the scheme still fell short of its targeted objectives.
“The House worried that despite the importance of the Scheme towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage for Nigerians, it does have a substantive Executive Secretary, but has been under the management of an ‘Overseeing Director’ appointed from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, and this has affected many critical and important operations of the Scheme; including:
“Non-approval of the 2017/2018 Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) reaccreditation exercise report which has those HMOs not fit for operations but have continued to provide services despite their deficiencies; non-approval of the 2018 Staff promotion exercise; with the likely consequent delay in the conduct of the 2019 exercise with the attendant staff dissatisfaction; non- pragmatic approach to dealing with contentious issues with various stakeholders; delays in approval and release of revised guidelines, drug and professional service price lists which have been long overdue for review, and failure to conduct the periodic quality assurance and improvement exercises on Health Care Providers and Health Maintenance Organizations”.
The House also setup an ad-hoc Committee headed by Peter Akpatason (Edo, APC) to determine the volume of crude oil extracted in the country on a daily basis and the quantity sold at the international markets and the quantity consumed locally.
The Committee is further mandated to carry out investigation on the damages done to communities when there is crude oil spillage and ascertain the quantity of crude oil that is stolen on a daily basis and the people responsible for the theft and report back in eight (8) weeks for further legislative action.
These decisions were sequel to a motion on ‘Crude Oil Theft in Nigeria, sponsored by Chukwuma Umeoji (APGA, Anambara).
According to Umeoj, “the House notes that Nigeria losses about 5 trillion naira yearly from oil theft an amount which the Government desperately needs to finance the budget.
“The House also notes that about 22 million barrels of crude oil counting for about 1.3 trillion naira loss of crude oil were stolen in the Niger Delta in 2019 alone.
” The House concerned that oil theft is not only an economic loss but also causes environmental damage due to breaches on oil pipelines and the incidents are on the upsurge”.
Both motions were unanimously passed when put to voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase who presided over plenary after several contributions in favour of them.
James Kwen, Abuja
