The Abia Commissioner for Health, Dr Okechukwu Ogah, said on
Monday that the State Government had concluded plans to launch a health
insurance scheme to provide an affordable health service to workers.
Ogah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba that the government was investing more funds in the health sector to boost healthcare delivery.
The commissioner said that the state House of Assembly would soon pass the health bill, now in its final reading, to make the scheme functional.
``We have keyed into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) established in 2003 by the Federal Government and the assembly will soon pass the bill into law.
Ogah added that the State Government would start with the formal sector to implement the programme.
``The programme is in place, any moment from now we will launch it in the state,’’ the commissioner said.
He said that the State Government had been selected at the national level to participate in the Community-based Health Insurance scheme, adding that some communities had been identified for the programme.
Ogah named the communities as Isikwuato, Ohafia, Ukwa West and Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state.
``So we have identified them, they have this local contributory programme and they can assist in running it,’’Ogah said.
NAN reports that the community based health insurance scheme is a non-profit type of insurance that has been used by poor people to protect themselves against the high costs of seeking medical care.
The insurance scheme requires members to regularly pay small premiums into a collective fund, used to pay for health services they require.
It is also designed for people who live and work in rural areas and who are unable to get adequate public, private or employer-sponsored health insurance. (NAN)
Ogah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba that the government was investing more funds in the health sector to boost healthcare delivery.
The commissioner said that the state House of Assembly would soon pass the health bill, now in its final reading, to make the scheme functional.
``We have keyed into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) established in 2003 by the Federal Government and the assembly will soon pass the bill into law.
Ogah added that the State Government would start with the formal sector to implement the programme.
``The programme is in place, any moment from now we will launch it in the state,’’ the commissioner said.
He said that the State Government had been selected at the national level to participate in the Community-based Health Insurance scheme, adding that some communities had been identified for the programme.
Ogah named the communities as Isikwuato, Ohafia, Ukwa West and Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state.
``So we have identified them, they have this local contributory programme and they can assist in running it,’’Ogah said.
NAN reports that the community based health insurance scheme is a non-profit type of insurance that has been used by poor people to protect themselves against the high costs of seeking medical care.
The insurance scheme requires members to regularly pay small premiums into a collective fund, used to pay for health services they require.
It is also designed for people who live and work in rural areas and who are unable to get adequate public, private or employer-sponsored health insurance. (NAN)
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