Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, inaugurated the 7-man panel headed by Dr Hassan Bukar in Abuja with a charge to be non-partisan and dispassionate in the discharge of their assignment.
The panel, which has two weeks to complete its assignment, is to investigate the alleged infractions listed by the NHIS Governing Council against the Executive Secretary and determine the extent of culpability or otherwise of the Executive Secretary with regards to the allegations.
President Muhammadu Buhari has already sent Yusuf on administrative leave to allow for unfettered investigations into his activities at the agency especially as regard the allegations.
SGF said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a corporate body established under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution by the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve the health of all Nigerians, by providing easy access to health care at an affordable cost through various prepayment systems.
He said the government was glad that the Scheme has been totally committed to securing universal coverage and access to adequate and affordable health care in order to improve the health status of Nigerians, especially for those participating in the various programmes/products of the Scheme.
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He explained that in addition, the Scheme also provides social health insurance in Nigeria where health care services of contributors are paid from the common pool of funds contributed by the participants.
Mustapha, however, said, unfortunately, in recent times, the National Health Insurance Scheme has been embroiled in one crisis or the other.
“Lately, these imbroglios have degenerated to the purported suspension of the Executive Secretary of the Scheme by its Governing Council, and calls from different quarters for the scrapping of the Health Management Organizations (HMO),” he said.
He said President Buhari who is very passionate about the healthcare and wellbeing of all Nigerians was desirous to make provision of quality and affordable health care as one of its cardinal objectives.
He added: “As a result of the crisis rocking the Scheme, it has become necessary to constitute this Presidential Independent Fact-Finding Panel to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crisis.”
SGF said: “I want to use this medium to remind members of this honourable panel on the need to be non-partisan and dispassionate in the discharge of their assignment.
‘I equally urge you to see this onerous assignment as a national call to duty and therefore embrace it with all commitment and seriousness it deserves,” he said.
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