Officials Deliberate On Health Insurance Scheme

Officials Deliberate On Health Insurance Scheme
Rafat Salami, Abuja

Health officials from different agencies in Nigeria are meeting in Abuja to discuss strategies for implementing a Community Based Social Health Insurance Scheme.

The scheme is part of government's effort to reduce out of pocket expenditure in assessing health care. Especially in the rural areas, it is aimed at reducing mortality while increasing hospital utilisation.

The Executive Director of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mallam Dogo Muhammed said that piloting in three states have shown that more agencies needed to work together to improve access to healthcare by the rural dwellers.

Less than 10 percent of Nigerians are currently covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme while only 1.5 million women in three states have access to maternal healthcare insurance.

Not less than 21 states have been earmarked for the community based social health insurance scheme, before the end of 2011.

In another development, a report on the health status and survival rate of newborns in Nigeria is scheduled to be released.

Ahead of the report, the ‘Newborn Health in the Context of the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy, an international Non-Governmental Organisation, Save the Children held a round table, in which details of the report was discussed.

Dr. Chinyere Ezeaka who presented details of the report said that new born deaths have increased in Nigeria , therefore calling for more action to prevent infant mortality.

The report calls for an increased focus on nutrition, policies and resources, towards reducing infant mortality, which currently stands at 241,000 annually.

Margaret/Yinka