FG moves to strengthen social protection, health insurance schemes for workers

The Federal Government has identified gaps in the provision of social protection and health insurance schemes for workers in both public and private sectors and has taken bold steps to address the lacuna.

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, speaking on Tuesday in Abuja, reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to the welfare of workers including social security protection such as compensation for occupational hazards as well as provision of access to quality and affordable healthcare through insurance.

She poke while declaring open a two-day sensitization workshop for Desk Officers of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

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Walson-Jack who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Patience Oyekunle, said there were gaps between policy and practice in the implementation of the NHIA Act, 2022, and Employee Compensation Act, administered by NSITF” hence the workshop that is designed to bridge these gaps through sensitisation of respective desk officers of the two agencies in MDAs.

She explained that NSITF is mandated to provide social security protection including compensation for occupational hazards, while the NHIA is charged with the responsibility of providing access to quality and affordable healthcare through insurance.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Federal Government through NSITF has so far processed and paid over 136,000 claims since inception. These claims span from disability, death, injury, occupational disease, even providing prosthesis, rehabilitation of employees among others.

“Part of the collaboration with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is interfacing with relevant stakeholders and Desk officers to deepen their understanding and facilitate the effective implementation of operational guidelines of the social security and health coverage policies.

“Therefore, this gathering is both timely and strategic as it reflects the Federal government’s commitment to strengthening institutional capacity, promoting synergy among key social protection institutions, and ensuring that Civil Servants benefit optimally from the programmes and services these institutions are mandated to provide.

“Desk Officers play a important role in the day-to-day interpretation and application of policies, processes, and procedures. They are operational backbone and the engine room of operational success of our MDAs.

“However, inconsistent understanding of operational guidelines has often led to delays, inefficiencies, and in some cases, poor inter-agency coordination,” Walson-Jack stated.

Deputy Director, Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Mr. Idris Aminu, earlier in his welcome address, said the training programme is both timely and strategic because NHIA is currently undergoing various reforms towards implementation of its mandate as stipulated in the new NHIA Act, 2022, saying this has ushered in a new era in the nation’s journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

He also noted that the Employee Compensation Act, administered by the NSITF, continues to play a critical role in safeguarding the welfare of employees in the event of workplace injuries, diseases, or disabilities.

He added that the workshop is designed to equip the participants with the requisite knowledge and operational competencies to support effective implementation and compliance across all MDAs.

Aminu said the sensitization workshop is not merely a formality, maintaining that it is a capacity-building initiative that aligns with ongoing public sector reforms geared towards transparency, efficiency, and citizen-focused service delivery.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Nkiru Ogunaike, General Manager, Claims and Compensation Department, NSITF, has revealed that the Fund has processed and paid over 136,000 claims since inception.

According to her, the claims spanned from disability, death, injury, occupational disease, even providing prosthesis, rehabilitation of employees among others.

She explained that the Employees’ Compensation Scheme covers for people or employees who sustained injury as a result of accidents in the course of work, while commuting to work, road traffic accidents, industrial accidents and even disabilities that have arisen from an injury, occupational disease as a result of work accidents and death in the course of work.

Ogunaike said: “We have processed and paid over 136,000 claims since inception; spanning from disability, death, injury, occupational disease, even providing prosthesis, rehabilitation of employees and the rest of them. Even further treatments abroad, we compensate for that.

“We have beneficiaries who were paid up to N1.2 million monthly until the last child attains the age of 21. These are children who have lost a breadwinner, maybe a father or a mother in the course of work. Upon such an incident, NSITF steps in to take care of those beneficiaries until the last child attains the age of 21,” she stated.