HCPAN tasks government to resolve NHIS crisis to achieve UHC

• calls for mandatory health insurance to all Nigerians                                           

Dr Adeyeye Arigbabuwo, National President (2nd Left) and other HCPAN officials at the briefing

The Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), has called on the Federal Government to settle the leadership brawl rocking the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), for the country to be able to achieve overdue Universal Healthcare Coverage.

Speaking at the association’s extra ordinary National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held Thursday, April 4, to address pressing national issues affecting the health sector particularly the Health Insurance axis, the National President of the HCPAN, Dr. Adeyeye Arigbabuwo noted that the scheme which is in its one decade of existence is still weak and politicized and this has led to low uptake and less than five percent of its coverage across the nation.

Arigbabuwo said the association wants NHIS to be more focused on a regulatory functions and the roaring sea of political turmoil in its setting to come to an end so that it can be stable.

He said: “Once NHIS is stable, the universal healthcare coverage will be a dream realized. NHIS is the captain that can drive all these. All eyes should be focused on peace attainment in the scheme to have a team that will carry Nigerians along.”

Speaking further, HCPAN President identified other issues bedeviling the scheme such as low awareness of the scheme across communities nationwide, out of pocket payment, poor funding, impoverishment of providers, poor distribution of enrollees, apparent undermining and uncared for stand-alone secondary provider facilities by the present structure of some state supported Health Insurance Scheme, some HMOs practicing with impunity with most of them owing providers for several months, teaching hospitals taking over the bulk of enrollees and primary cases among others.

Arigbabuwo said the above issues must be looked it and that the scheme must be made compulsory.

He regreted that benefit package, tariff and operating guideline in the system is not in tune with present economic realities and the sustainability and survival of providers, noting that any Capitation less that of NHIS (750) will amount to under insurance and short changing the providers/Enrollees.

He said: “For all the states heath insurance programmes across the country, we appeal to the operators, various state governments that we have the mandate of all the groups in health sector that we should do appropriate pricing of healthcare delivery .

“What is being offered now as payment inform of capitation, when matched with payment package, there is great disparity and the gap needs to be filled so that Nigerians will not see a failed system,” Arigbabuwo said.

The association also wants government to encourage reverse medical tourism by finding ways to bring back health workers in the diaspora by and creating enabling environment.

Arigbabuwo, however, reiterates that if Nigeria must achieve Universal Healthcare Coverage, the above issues must be tackled and all stakeholders must come together and work together to achieve result in the health sector.