Return health insurance funds now, labour tells buhari

ORGANISED labour, under the auspices of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately ensure that the huge fund, meant for the running of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which has been diverted to the Treasury Single Account (TSA), be returned. to the scheme.

The TUC said in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama  that it was alarmed that billions of naira meant for the running of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been diverted to the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Comrade Kaigama expressed worry that if the fund was not paid back into the coffers of the NHIS, the scheme would collapse.

He said: “The withdrawal of humongous sums of money in the National Health Insurance Scheme fund and its subsequent lodgement into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has gravely affected the operations and financial capability of the scheme in terms of growing the pooled fund.

“This trend if not reversed urgently will adversely affect the future activities and operations of the Scheme.”

The TUC President posited that the NHIS was not a revenue generating agency since its funds come from the pool of workers contributions.

He added that the NHIS was established by the National Assembly Act CAP.42 LFN 2004 to provide health services to workers at affordable cost while treating tertiary related diseases, emergency health situations, and to eliminate huge out-of-pocket expenses.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to categorically state that NHIS by the act that established it has never been a revenue generating agency for the government.

“The contributions to the NHIS coffers are funds pooled majorly from monthly salaries of dedicated workers, money from international donors and voluntary contributions from private individuals,” he stated.

The TUC emphasised that the NHIS was set up to cater for the healthcare of its contributing enrollees whose funds were the breathing life of the Scheme and by extension to provide universal healthcare coverage for all Nigerians.

It expressed the hope that the Federal Government should stop regarding the NHIS as a revenue generating agency and allow the scheme to use the funds at its disposal to discharge its statutory function of providing health to Nigerian workers in particular and the citizens in general.

“If the Federal Government insists that it’s wrongly held position on the matter will not change, the Trade Unions may be left with no other option than to seek redress in the law court in order to defend the overall interest of the workers who are the major contributors to the scheme,” Kaigama emphasised.