Egbe community embraces CBSHIP

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has again secured a major leap in its resolve to extend opportunities for access to effective care services to all Nigerians living in the rural and sub urban areas of the country, as it flags off community – based social health insurance programmes (CBSHIP)in various communities across the country.

The latest in the serial flag offs took place recently in Egbe, headquarters of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Femi Thomas who was represented by the Acting General Manager, Informal sector, Hamza Aliyu, stated that “CBSHIP is a veritable tool of reaching the very large informal sector of the country, which constitutes about 70% of the population”.

According to the NHIS Boss, the Scheme’s ultimate mandate is to achieve universal health coverage, by giving access to qualitative healthcare services to all Nigerians, irrespective of location, socio-economic status or any other factor, by eliminating financial and geographical barriers.

Thomas therefore reiterated that the Scheme is ready to offer tangible support to any state and community that shows the will to log into the Scheme’s programmes.

He added that the Scheme has put in place programmes for the various sectors and segments of the society which will ultimately lead to the attainment of the objective of 40% coverage by 2015, and universal coverage by 2020.

Earlier, the Medical director, ECWA Hospital Egbe, the facility of choice for the programme, Bert Ovbre, said that Community Based Social Health Insurance is the best option for financing healthcare services in the rural areas of the country. According to him, it will work better if enrollees are properly enlightened on their roles, rights and obligations under the programme.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Egbe Mutual Health Association, Jide Owojaiye, registered the community’s gratitude for the CBSHIP platform being offered the community by NHIS, urging stakeholders to be selfless and purposeful in their services, so as to make the Egbe CBHIP the best in the country.

This brings to two, the communities in Kogi State where CBSHIP has been successfully flagged off, coming on the heels of a similar exercise in Emeriko, Olamaboro Local Government Area of the State.