The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS said yesterday it has concluded plans to engage development banks and private hospitals in 9,422 wards across the country to ease enrolment of people in the scheme. This is in the efforts to achieve a healthy living and promote the wellbeing of all Nigerians, which is the number three objective of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
Speaking at an interactive forum in Abuja with stakeholders in the scheme, acting executive secretary, NHIS, Mr. Femi Akingbade, said the decision became necessary following the determination of government to ensure that every citizen of this country gets access to and enjoys benefits accruable from the scheme.
He said the plan considers the significant roles private health facilities play, and the impacts development banks could make in health care delivery. Akingbade said there are 9,422 wards across the country, and that in each of the wards, there are private hospitals which could as well provide services needlessly sought in secondary and tertiary health institutions. He decried the treatment of conditions such as malaria and maternalinfant- related ailments which are supposed to be treated by primary health care providers but are being taken to secondary and tertiary health institutions. According to him, the new drive would reduce the trend, including the high rate of maternal and child mortality in the country. The NHIS boss disclosed that there are already talks with development banks which he said would provide funds for some of the proprietors of the private hospitals to make the programme work. National Mirror
