The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Thursday, engaged stakeholders on ways of improving health insurance in Enugu State. The event involved Healthcare Providers and Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs).
It was organised by the Enugu Office of NHIA. The Acting Zonal Coordinator of NHIA, Southeast, Mrs Chinyere Aniebo, said the meeting was to update stakeholders on recent developments.
According to her, “For two years, we have not communicated what we have been working on to our stakeholders. This is an opportunity to inform everyone about what we are doing, share the new regulations, and chart the way forward.”
She said enrolments were increasing across the Southeast as some states had begun formal sector registration. She said the agency had taken measures to improve payments to hospitals and HMOs after concerns about low tariffs.
Quoting her, “We have improved payments to our hospitals and HMOs. We now expect results, which must come through the quality of care given to our patients.”
The Enugu State Coordinator of NHIA, Dr Chukwuemeka Ogbu, stated that, “We want to assess our performance over the years, identify areas for improvement, and ensure better service delivery in the state.”
According to him, Enugu State’s health insurance agency would soon commence its formal sector programme: “My goal is to take health insurance in the state to unprecedented levels.”
The Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage, Dr Edith Okolo, said the scheme would soon be launched in the state.
In her words, “Governor Peter Mbah will declare his commitment to ensuring that civil servants in Enugu State benefit from health insurance, protecting them from the financial risks of healthcare. Enrollees would have access to the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services, which includes hospital admissions, surgeries, laboratory tests, and prescribed drugs.”
A healthcare provider, Dr Okechukwu Okonkwo, the Medical Director of Royal Hospital, Enugu, said the engagement was informative.
Okonkwo said, “NHIA has undergone a massive transformation, with many new initiatives and programmes. They have reviewed several policies, which is a welcome development for healthcare providers. We look forward to the full implementation.”
The forum urged stakeholders to be more committed towards better healthcare delivery across Enugu State.
