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The Federal Ministry of Health has launched the Elder Friendly Hospital Initiative (ELDFHRI), to address personal care and environmental needs of the elderly.
Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, disclosed this during the opening of the first international training of trainers in Geriatrics at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), on Monday in Benin.
The theme: “Achieving Quality Healthcare for Elderly in Africa,” was aimed at achieving good health of the elderly in Africa and ameliorating their health challenges.
Ehanire defined Geriatrics as “a healthcare specialty dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of the older persons.”
He said the initiative was to ensure that amenities in health care facilities were tailored to peculiar needs of the elderly.
“We shall mount advocacy to make UBTH a regional centre for geriatric training for the African region.
“As the ageing population in Nigeria increases, like in many developed countries, so does the demand for care and support for them, arising from potential health and social problems associated with old age.
He said the ministry was working with the National Pension Commission, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Ehanire said the collaboration was to ensure that formal sector retirees retained the benefit of their NHIS up to age 70, before switching over to the National Non-Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
Dr Darlington Obaseki, Chief Medical Director of UBTH, said elderly persons needed serious care and pampering in order for them to live long.
“Geriatrics services in UBTH have impacted greatly on the health of older persons, such that the 15-bedded ward has increased to 20.
“But utilisation demands by older persons and their relatives keep increasing, thereby creating a strong need for a comprehensive geriatric centre with expanded space and improved equipment,” he said.
Obaseki said UBTH was taking the lead in providing locally relevant and affordable training of international standard to multi-disciplinary professionals.
He said the professionals were drawn from the three levels of the health sector (primary, secondary and tertiary) as well as private sectors and related disciplines.
Bashorun Adewolu, Board Chairman of UBTH, called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the elder friendly hospital initiative, to make aging in Nigeria a pleasant experience.
The board chairman said, “This is the reason we are all seated here today.
“One consistent drop of water will someday make an ocean, hence the UBTH has taken the bull by the horn to mobilise all stakeholders to synergise and promote the wellbeing of order persons.
Edited By: Abiodun Esan/Ejike Obeta
(NAN)
Dr Abiodun Olusesi, the Chief Consultant, Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon, and Head of ENT Department, National Hospital Abuja (NHA) has urged government to subsidise the cost of cochlear implant for Nigerians who suffer from hearing loss.
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device to provide a person with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss a modified sense.
Olusesi made the call in an interview with Nigeria News Agency on Tuesday in Abuja in commemoration of the International Day for Ear and Hearing.
He urged government to subsidise at least 25 per cent of the cost of cochlear implant to make the device affordable for Nigerians who suffer from hearing loss.
According to him, government should provide some percentage for cochlear implant to those who have hearing loss and want the technology.
He added that the present National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) did not cover any implant, which is not manufactured in Nigeria.
He explained “in the past 10 years, we screened not less than 120 people who require the use of hearing aid application such as cochlear implant.
“But the number of people who were able to raise funds and come for the cochlear implant at the National Hospital Abuja are less than 20, mostly from well-to-do families.
“This is because of its cost, as cochlear implant for just one ear is close to N6 millon.”
He said many families could not afford the rehabilitation option and that was why they chose to enrol their children in school for the deaf.
Edited By: Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
NNN: Nigerian veteran actor, Segun Akiremi (a.ka. Kanran), on Monday called on the Federal Government to create a special medical scheme for Nigerian artistes through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Akiremi suggested this while speaking with the Nigeria News Agency in Lagos while paying tribute to the late veteran actor, Kayode Odumosu, who died on Sunday.
NAN reports that Odumosu, popularly called “Pa Kasunmu”, died on March 1 at age 66.
According to Akiremi, such special scheme will cater for artistes’ medical challenges when they are old and have limited strengths to work.
“In foreign countries, artistes are treated specially, celebrated and well catered for.
“Nigeria must take a clue from this to guide against artistes dying due to lack of medical care.
“The Federal Government needs to appreciate arts, and it should be taken seriously just like sports.
“The government and Nigerians should appreciate artistes while alive and not after they are dead,’’ he said.
The veteran actor also urged the Federal Government to create platforms where artistes can access soft loans to aid their production of quality movies.
Akiremi speaking on the late Pa Kasumu said that he late was a sociable and hardworking fellow, who impacted positively on his colleagues during his life time.
“Pa Kasunmu’s death is a painful one; I will miss him so much so because he was an actor I loved so much.
“May God rest his soul and forgive him his sins.
“He was a man that used to forgive easily and he was not holding grudges against anybody.’’
Akiremi added that the late actor used to relate very well with the people, either young or old, and was always punctual at locations during shooting of films.
Akiremi decried the situation whereby many Nollywood artistes used to die due to health challenges.
He said this was disheartening when most artistes had spent a better part of their lives entertaining and educating the populace, only to be left alone when they needed help.
Akiremi said that Pa Kasunmu’s death was due to financial constraint, saying that he lacked funds to take proper care of his health.
He said that many other artistes too were facing a similar challenge.
Edited By: Abdulfatah Babatunde/Peter Dada
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) says the scheme has registered no fewer than four million enrollees under its formal sector programme and the voluntary scheme since 2005 till date.
Prof. Mohammed Sambo, the Executive Secretary, NHIS disclosed this to Nigeria News Agency in Abuja, 0n Wednesday.
The Formal Sector Programme covers workers in the public sector (Federal Civil Service, Uniformed Services) while the voluntary scheme is under Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP).
Sambo told Nigeria News Agency the number of NHIS enrollees was growing daily as more people registered to be part of the scheme, adding that the agency was working to cover the informal sector.
“We have close to four million enrollees in the formal sector and the voluntary social health insurance, this figure does not include the figure that states and the private, who are subscribing through Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) are covering.
“As it is, retirees are not part of the NHIS but we have Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goal to attain; the SDGs goal is talking about attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“Also, we have Presidential mandate that NHIS should accelerate towards achieving UHC in line with SDGs.
“Where we are today, with the law establishing health insurance, that is not mandatory, but we have to ensure that the law is amended so that it will now be mandatory.
“If you have a mandatory scheme; it therefore means that government will have to provide resources for people to be covered.”
Sambo said the government had to provide resources for those that to be covered; private sectors and organisations would provide resources for people and other financing will now come into play.
He said they would also contribute to the fund of National Health Insurance Scheme for all the people to be covered.
According to him, NHIS had developed initiative called `Health insurance under roof’’, a concept predicated on the fact that health insurance system is a decentralised system.
Sambo explained that NHIS was getting its funds from contribution from the employers and employees of the federal public service.
“Some private sectors organisations have also joined NHIS, they are also paying premium for their workers then the third category of people.
“People are coming on voluntary basis to join the national health insurance to pay.
“Apart from this group of people, we do not have funding for any other person because in health insurance is not a free healthcare.
“So, all the money we have in the national health insurance scheme are monies that are designated to pay for some category of people under our care.
Edited By: Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Ekemini Ladejobi
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) says the scheme has registered no fewer than four million enrollees under its formal sector programme and the voluntary scheme since 2005 till date.
Prof. Mohammed Sambo, the Executive Secretary, NHIS disclosed this to Nigeria News Agency in Abuja, 0n Wednesday.
The Formal Sector Programme covers workers in the public sector (Federal Civil Service, Uniformed Services) while the voluntary scheme is under Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP).
Sambo told Nigeria News Agency the number of NHIS enrollees was growing daily as more people registered to be part of the scheme, adding that the agency was working to cover the informal sector.
“We have close to four million enrollees in the formal sector and the voluntary social health insurance, this figure does not include the figure that states and the private, who are subscribing through Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) are covering.
“As it is, retirees are not part of the NHIS but we have Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goal to attain; the SDGs goal is talking about attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“Also, we have Presidential mandate that NHIS should accelerate towards achieving UHC in line with SDGs.
“Where we are today, with the law establishing health insurance, that is not mandatory, but we have to ensure that the law is amended so that it will now be mandatory.
“If you have a mandatory scheme; it therefore means that government will have to provide resources for people to be covered.”
Sambo said the government had to provide resources for those that to be covered; private sectors and organisations would provide resources for people and other financing will now come into play.
He said they would also contribute to the fund of National Health Insurance Scheme for all the people to be covered.
According to him, NHIS had developed initiative called `Health insurance under roof’’, a concept predicated on the fact that health insurance system is a decentralised system.
Sambo explained that NHIS was getting its funds from contribution from the employers and employees of the federal public service.
“Some private sectors organisations have also joined NHIS, they are also paying premium for their workers then the third category of people.
“People are coming on voluntary basis to join the national health insurance to pay.
“Apart from this group of people, we do not have funding for any other person because in health insurance is not a free healthcare.
“So, all the money we have in the national health insurance scheme are monies that are designated to pay for some category of people under our care.
Edited By: Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Ekemini Ladejobi
Prof. Mohammed Sambo, the Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),
says the scheme is working with State Social Health Insurance Scheme (SSHIS) to extend health insurance coverage to informal sector of the population.
Sambo told Nigeria News Agency in Abuja that NHIS currently covered enrolees under its formal sector programmes and the voluntary social
health insurance arrangement.
The Formal Sector Programme covers workers in the public sector (Federal Civil Service, Uniformed Services) while the voluntary scheme is under
Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP).
According to him, no fewer than four million are registered under the scheme as population of the enrolees is still growing.
He said that a new scheme had been developed under the National Health Insurance Act called Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHPF)
for citizens that were not covered under the formal programme.
He explained that “BHPF is where money coming to the NHIS and the money is related to the state health insurance to purchase healthcare services for the defined segment of the nation.’’
He added that NHIS provided support to 17 state governments through the BHPF to enrol their vulnerable citizens, noting that
part of the mandate of the scheme was to support states to establish SSHIS and also provide some fund for them to enrol vulnerable population.
He said “but if you look at what is required to provide services, even the contribution from the national healthcare insurance as laudable as it is, will not cover majority segment.
“It will not cover those vulnerable segments of the population.
“ So, a lot has to be done through innovative financing healthcare mechanism so as to get more funding to cover those who are uncovered in the national health insurance scheme.
“This is not an easy task but we are facing it squarely to develop the matrix, to bring all the stakeholders on board to be able to do appropriate costing.
“The stakeholders need do appropriate costing that will be required to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and determine how money will be sourced to cover the entire population.”
In addition, Sambo said, stakeholders could adopt the Health Insurance Under One Roof concept as veritable tool for the attainment of UHC in the country.
Health Insurance Under One Roof is an initiative aimed at ensuring that health insurance operates under one system with proper coordination and unified data to reduce bottlenecks in service delivery.
This is in line with the expectations and objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Presidential Mandate and particularly the Health Sector Next Level Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The concept is designed to provide a coordinating and regulating framework for the implementation of health insurance in Nigeria, thereby bringing to an end the fragmentation of the past in a decentralised ecosystem.
It will bring an end to fragmentation of the past which militated against tangible progress in rapid enrolee uptake toward Universal Health Coverage.
Edited By: Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
An Ophthalmologist, Tahood Abdullahi, has blamed poor knowledge of eye conditions for the challenges of eye care in the country.
Abdullahi stated this in an interview with the Nigeria News Agency , on Tuesday in Ilorin, Kwara.
The ophthalmologist, who is the Managing Director of Opeyemi Mega Eye Centre (OMEC), Ilorin, noted that misinformation about eye treatment in hospitals had forced most people to take alternative treatments that were harmful to the eyes.
The medical expert berated the rate at which people engaged in traditional medication.
“There are lots of factors militating against the health sector generally and particularly, the eye treatment.
“These include the fact that people’s knowledge about the various eye conditions is generally poor and their attitudes also counter the uptake of eye services medically.
“Part of the misinformation around eye treatment is that: if one goes to hospital for eye treatment, the eye condition will be worse, thus leading to surgical operation.
“As a result of this, people take to alternative treatment, which unfortunately, is harmful to the eye. Most of them engage in traditional medication,’’ he said.
Abdullahi bemoaned what he called lack of adequate support from some state governments, which, he said, was also hindering eye care services.
“Poverty is another factor. People do not have money. Many cannot afford three square meals a day. So if you ask such people to bring money for eye test or treatment, they can’t afford it.
“Unfortunately, in our environment, we have yet to strengthen our health insurance scheme such that there won’t be out-of-pocket spending when you go to access eye care treatment.
“Another lapse from the government is that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is strictly for those who work with the federal civil service. So there is the need for a community health insurance service,” Abdullahi said.
He, therefore, advocated for the extension of eye treatment services to rural areas.
“Many doctors of ophthalmology do not go into the villages and you know these are the areas where we have patients, most of whom are highly in need of our services.
“Therefore, traditional eye healers have become kings in such areas because once they go there with their portfolios, they see them as doctors and they keep wreaking havoc there,” he added.
Edited By: Zainab Garba and ‘Wale Sadeeq
The Senate on Monday called for the provision of mandatory health insurance scheme for all categories of Nigerians.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe made the call in Abuja at a one-day public hearing to consider two health bills.
The bills are Bill for an Act to repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act 2004, and to enact the National Health Insurance Commission Bill 2019.
The second bill is a Bill for an Act to provide for the Enhancement and Regulation of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Protect Persons with Mental Health Needs.
The bill also seeks for Establishment of National Commission for Mental and Substance Abuse Services for effective management of mental health in Nigeria and other related matters 2019.
Oloriegbe noted that the current NHIS only provided for optional health insurance in the country.
He said countries that have made substantial progress toward universal health coverage did so because they made health insurance mandatory.
Oloriegbe, however, said making health insurance compulsory without sufficient arrangements to subsidise it would not work.
He said there was the need to make efforts to subsidise the payments of Nigerians who cannot afford the insurance premium.
“The poverty rate in Nigeria is about 35 per cent of the population which translates to over 60 million Nigerians living below poverty line.
“This group of people cannot afford insurance premium, yet we cannot allow them to suffer for health Care services.”
Oloriegbe said the proposed bill comprised nine parts and 79 clauses.
Highlights of the bill according to Oloriegbe, includes the establishment of the National Health Insurance Commission, governing council and its functions.
He said the bill provided for the types of health insurance schemes, registration and Licences of various schemes and provision for Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHPF), offences, penalties, and legal proceedings, among others.
On National Mental Health Bill 2019, he said the bill was auspicious and appropriate for addressing the glowing number of suicide deaths in Nigeria.
He said it was unarguable that most of the suicides occur due to substance abuse, mental balance and non-availability of services to control the substance abuse.
He said the bill, made up of 12 parts and 74 sections seeks to provide direction for coherent, natural and unified response to challenges relating to delivery of mental health and substance abuse in Nigeria.
He also said the bill seeks to protect the rights and freedom of persons with mental ill-health and substance use related disorders among others.
Stakeholders in the health sector that made submissions via their Memoranda commended the senate on its efforts to review the NHIS Act to provide universal health coverage for all Nigerians.
Present at the public hearing were representatives of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Health Maintainance Organisations (HMO), Officials of Ministry of Health, NHIS among others.
Edited By: Abiemwense Moru/Ekemini Ladejobi
The House of Representatives has directed the Committee
on Healthcare Services to investigate the utilisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
This followed a unanimous adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Shina Peller (APC-Oyo) during plenary presided over by the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila on Thursday.
The motion is tagged
“Need to Investigate the Utilisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund
“.Presenting the motion, Peller recalled that
Section 11 of the National Health Act, enacted in 2014, required that not less than one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Government be set aside as a grant to finance the fund.
He said the act committed the Federal Government to dedicate national resources to provide access to healthcare services for all in a cost effective way, strengthening institutions and increasing financing for essential health care services.
The lawmaker also noted that the fund would be used for operational budgets for public primary healthcare facilities and address under-performance at the primary healthcare.
He said that the programme would also enable Nigerians access services in 22 states, including the FCT and would facilitate the overhaul of the primary healthcare system in the country.
Furthermore, Peller recalled that according to the operational manual of the BHCPF, all programme funds must be kept in a dedicated account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and relevant State agencies have all opened accounts with the CBN.
“The house is aware that 50 per cent of the total amount appropriated has so far been released from the 2018 budget for the programme.
“Similarly, the Global Financing Facility and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have contributed 20 million dollars and two million-dollar grant respectively to the programme with other donor agencies also showing interests.
“More than 30 states have formally expressed interests and facility assessments have been carried out, with the release of approximately 50 per cent of the fund.
“In spite of the laudable programme and intent of the fund, the primary healthcare system of the country is in shambles.
“Infant mortality is on the increase, rate of death at childbirth is still very high in most rural communities and hardly would one find a functional primary healthcare care facility in most local governments areas much less the wards,” he said.
He added that the house was aware that the Global Facility Financing (GFF) had committed 20 million dollars while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would commit up to 75 million dollars over the next five years.
“The Department for International Development (DFID) also committed £60 million to support the programme which goal is to have one functional Primary Health Care (PHC) per political ward in Nigeria,” he noted.
The house, however, mandated the committee to investigate the utilisation of the fund and report within four weeks for further legislative action.
Edited By: Kayode Olaitan
Prof. Mohammed Sambo, the Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) says the scheme has provided support to 17 state governments through the Basic Heath Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), to enroll the vulnerable in the society.
Sambo made the disclosure at a 3-day Strategic Retreat of NHIS organised for State Social Health Insurance Schemes (SSHIS) and other key stakeholders on Thursday in Goshen City, Nasarawa State.
He said that part of the mandate of NHIS is to support the states to establish SSHIS and also provide some fund for them to enroll the vulnerable population.
“We have BHCPF; we just started, the first disbursement was done in the 4th quarter, 2019.
“Already, we have disbursed monies to 17 states in Nigeria so that they can enroll the vulnerable segment of the population,’’ he said.
Sambo said the retreat would fine-tune framework of how the health insurance could be under one roof and used towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC),’’ he said.
According to him, state and local governments are supposed to join the scheme when the NHIS started but because it was not mandatory they did not join.
Sambo said that only employees of the Federal Government and those in private sector were participating in the scheme, noting that the trend led to decentralisation of the scheme.
He explained that under the new initiative would bring enrollees of the NHIS and SSHIS under one roof to ensure a central coordinating platform.
The Executive Secretary said that the initiative was aimed at ensuring that health insurance operates under one system with proper coordination and unified data.
Sambo added that it would also make stakeholders contribute quality decisions towards achieving UHC, based on knowledge of those who were statutorily covered under the formal sector and those not yet covered.
“This retreat brings all the actors from federal and state levels under the health insurance scheme to come together to create a platform that will enable us to move towards UHC.
“The NHIS is operating a 2004 law which is solely focused on the formal sector; all the money coming to the NHIS is from contributions from the salary of the public sector workers.
“Even if the NHIS is performing at its best, it would not have covered more than the people in the formal sector in Nigeria, ‘’ the Executive Secretary said.
In addition, he said the law had been amended to review the challenges in the sector and strengthen the scheme to achieve its mandate.
“The position of the amendment now is that because the last senate had passed it, it was not assented to by the president and so the National Assembly (NASS) has re-presented it.
“In fact it has gone to the second reading and they have called for public hearing next week.”
Also speaking, Dr Niyi Oginni, the Chairman, Forum of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), State Health Insurance Agencies in Nigeria, said the initiative would enhance coordination of the NHIS scheme.
Ognni said the initiative would also enhance regulation of health insurance in appropriate manner.
“We are looking at a roof of health insurance under one roof, what constitute the lintel, what constitutes the pillars and what are the things in the foundation.
“So that when we look at all the components, we can have a very solid house – health insurance under one roof scheme,’’ he said.
Nigeria News Agency reports that NHIS was established under Act 35 of 1999 by the Federal Government to enhance access to quality healthcare service delivery to the people.
Edited By: Abiemwense Moru/Rabiu Sani Ali
