The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has been scheduled to appear before the House of Representatives on July 27 over his decision to suspend the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Yusuf Usman.
Adewole had announced the suspension of Usman on July 8 over petitions alleging corrupt acts by the NHIS boss.
The suspension came just as the House Committee on Health Services was investigating alleged rot in the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The petitions being investigated by the House alleged that Health Maintenance Organisations were responsible for the poor implementation of the scheme.
The House, in its reaction to the ES’ suspension on Wednesday last week, directed the minister to reinstate him immediately.
It also asked him to halt the re-accreditation of HMOs pending the outcome of the intervention by the House.
The Chairman, House Committee on Health Services, Mr. Chike Okafor, confirmed to The PUNCH on Tuesday that the minister would appear on July 27.
Responding to an electronic mail by The PUNCH, Okafor simply wrote, “Thursday next week, July 27.”
Incidentally, the House will also be proceeding on its annual recess on July 27.
One of the allegations levelled against Usman was that he procured a Sports Utility Vehicle for N58m without due process.
It was Okafor, who moved a motion on the floor of the House to draw the attention of lawmakers to the suspension of the ES.
Okafor told the session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, that it would appear that the ES was being punished for exposing corruption in the NHIS during his speech at the committee hearing.
