Writing by Gambo Santos;Editing by Abubakar Hamza.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has intensified efforts to boost participation in health insurance schemes among private sector workers, urging employers to enroll their workforce to improve access to healthcare services and reduce financial hardship.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Kaduna, the NHIA State Coordinator, Alhaji Lawal Dodo, said the large turnout at the event reflected the importance attached by the authority to educating and enlightening stakeholders on the operations and benefits of health insurance programmes.
Dodo noted that the Federal Government had made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and called for closer collaboration with the private sector to ensure effective implementation without placing undue burdens on businesses.
According to him, employees are required to enroll in NHIA health insurance plans to enable them access quality healthcare services without suffering financial difficulties.
He said the NHIA, over the past 25 years, had consistently partnered with and sought the support of the Organised Private Sector in implementing the health insurance system across the country.
Despite these efforts, Dodo expressed concern over the low participation of private sector workers in the scheme, noting that the sector accounts for about 40 per cent of Nigeria’s working population.
In his remarks, the North-West Zonal Director of NHIA, Alhaji Ibrahim Goma, disclosed that about 97 per cent of Federal Government employees were enrolled in the scheme and currently benefiting from its services.
Also speaking, the Kaduna State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), represented by Comrade Agnes John, said Nigeria had been working towards achieving universal access to healthcare since the introduction of health insurance initiatives in 1996.
She commended NHIA programmes targeted at individuals, groups, communities and rural populations, and urged captains of industry to register their employees with the scheme to reduce productivity losses arising from illness.
The stakeholders’ engagement was attended by representatives of the NLC, Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), private sector groups, individuals and other key stakeholders.
