ENUGU STATE, BEST PREPARED FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN NIGERIA - CHIEF EMMANUEL OBI

 


The National Health Act of 2014 mandates healthcare coverage for all residents in Nigeria, and by extension, the law mandates healthcare coverage for all residents of Enugu State. Similarly, the Enugu State Health Law of 2017 made healthcare coverage mandatory for residents of Enugu State. In an exclusive interview with select journalists, the Managing Director of Well health Network Ltd, Chief Emmanuel Obi, an Enugu State-owned and operated national HMO, shared his views on the roadmap to a successful Universal Health Coverage program in the State. 

Chief Emmanuel was very upbeat about the success of the scheme especially with the low Premium which is very much affordable,the deployment of Health Maintenance Organization in each Senatorial zone will invariably give the scheme the needed push to reach the nooks and crannies of the State and the fact that there will be transparency in the accounting for the Premium that will go straight to the the government nominated account and health groups membership registration of 45000residentsand autonomous communities who with ease will access Care in their Various health Centers.

Well health Network Ltd has been accredited as a national HMO by the National Health Insurance Authority to manage the healthcare of enrollees under its program. The company has been registered as an HMO with the CAC since 2008. Chief Emmanuel Obi noted that today, Enugu State is the most prepared to achieve Universal Health Coverage amongst the thirty-six states due to the availability of Government health centers in all the 260 wards in the state. What this connotes is that no resident will be left behind in this coverage, as everybody belongs to a ward.

On the practicability of the coverage, Chief Obi assured that the organization carried out an actuarial analysis using the most updated population of the state from the National Population Commission office in Enugu. Well health was able to identify the population of the residents in each of the senatorial zones. The principle they envision is for the Enugu State government to deploy one HMO/TPA per senatorial zone, whose principal function is to register residents and collect premiums, with the payment going directly to the government-nominated account with the HMOs not having access to the account supervised by the Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage.

After registering residents who have paid their premiums, the State Health Insurance Agency captures and enrolls the residents into their database, ready to access healthcare services. All that the HMO does is to organize the residents, sensitize them, create awareness, and explain to them the benefits of the scheme, and they have no doubt that the residents will embrace it.

A premium per resident of N300.00 per month for ages zero years to 17 years and for adults N500 per month.

Chief Obi commended the Enugu State government for approving the refurbishment of health centers across the state, aligning with the program's success. He also acknowledged the support of NGOs and diasporan relatives in ensuring the program's success.


Report by Okolo Norbert

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