‘Delay in passing national health insurance bill preventing universal health coverage’

Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe has reiterated that the signing into law of the National Health Insurance Bill by President Mohammadu Buhari should not be delayed as many Nigerians including the rich are unable to get quality health care services.

Dr Oloriegbe, speaking at the launch of a book titled: Universal Healthcare and Access to the Lower-income Population: An Exploration of Capitation in Lagos written by Dr Charles Ezuma-Ngwu, a financial and budget analyst, said that signing the bill to law would ensure funding for capitation and allow universal access to health for all.

He declared that private health facilities are more in urban areas and it would take a hybrid of both the public and private health facilities, and supported by health insurance to ensure that Nigerians have access to quality health care service wherever they may reside in the country.

According to him, “the private sector alone may not be able to help us achieve universal health coverage, which is why we have to think about the public sector. But capitation alone may not be a sustainable factor that will make the private sector to be able to deliver. The budget and funding system, including the current contribution of the employed people in the public sector, cannot take us anywhere.

“We are spending more money on security because of the challenges that we have. Health and all other social sectors are suffering despite the huge money in circulation outside of the government system, one of which is telecommunications.

“It is not only the poor that are suffering, even the rich in Nigeria. Most people don’t take health insurance and even if they do, it is not comprehensive enough. That is why you see rich people travel abroad for medical care. Some don’t know that some of the services they travel abroad for are here.”

President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Aliyu Wabba stated that globally over one billion people lack access to basic health care, another 100 million fall into poverty due to out-of-pocket spending on health to access health and nearly a third of households in Africa had borrowed money or sold assets to pay for health.

Country Director, Pathfinder International, Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi, stated that without addressing the issues that affect women and children, Nigeria would not achieve universal health coverage since they form the group that seeks health care more.

Director, Institute for Excellence in Healthcare and Leadership and the reviewer of the book, Professor Chima Onoka stated that the consensus among experts is that capitation-based blended payment with risk adjustment is the way to go, especially in low and medium income countries.

Author of the book, Dr Charles Ezuma-Ngwu said the book recommends “an alternative method for delivering health care to the impoverished populations in Nigeria and developing economies worldwide.”

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