Conflict between FG, states hindering health insurance – NHIS

Nigeria will need N1.92tn to achieve Universal Health Coverage, National Heath Insurance Scheme, has said.

The organisation however says the amount should not be difficult to raise as the country presently spends about N2.4tn on issues that are not planned.

The Executive Secretary of the NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas, who said this in Abuja during a meeting with the 36 Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries in the state Ministries of Health, said this could be amicably resolved with the assistance of the scheme.

The NHIS, he said, had offered to assist states to develop and implement their own health insurance programmes.

Thomas expressed concern that the placement of health in the concurrent list had generated conflict between the states and the Federal Government.

He however said the NHIS would turn the crisis to collaboration in order to provide affordable health services to all citizens in the country.

Thomas said, “Having looked at the issues about our relationship with the states in the past, we have come up with a review position on our engagement with states all over the country. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees adequate health for all Nigerians. Accidentally, the same constitution has put health on the concurrent lists.

“But over the years, this idea of being on the concurrent list has been a source of conflict between the states and the Federal Government. But on our own side, we have found this very unnecessary, and we believe that instead of generating conflict, it should actually be out of synergy.

“So, the time has come for us to use that principle of synergy to move health insurance forward in the country. The concept has been studied extensively within the NHIS; we had invited technical partners within the NHIS, who have also helped us to look at this and we have actually gone ahead to form a technical working group to develop a template, which will be subjected to all forms of tests here today and if there will be a need for any amendment, we will be ready to do that before we advance on this.”

According to him, instead of coming with money to the NHIS, “what we require of you will be to form your own health insurance board at the state levels, come out with your own programmes within the formal and informal sector and make health insurance mandatory in your states".

Culled from: http://www.punchng.com