Fuel Subsidy: Centre Advocates Health Insurance As Palliative

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has called on the federal government to include the provision of health insurance for indigent people as part of palliatives to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

CSJ’s executive director, Mr Eze Onyekpere, made the call at a town hall meeting of health insurance providers in Owerri, the Imo State capital at the weekend.

Onyekpere said the provision of quality and affordable healthcare insurance by the federal government should form part of the proposed palliatives.

He called for the immediate composition of the National Health Insurance Authority board to ensure punitive measures to address defaulters in the provision of health insurance services.

Speaking on the theme: “Increased Uptake of Health Insurance As a Tool To Achieve Universal Health Coverage”, Onyekpere said the project was aimed at contributing to improvements in the realisation of the right to health in Nigeria.

According to him, the project is currently being implemented in seven states including; Sokoto, Adamawa, Imo, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Bauchi and Rivers, saying the policy reforms should foster  transparency and accountability in public health expenditure.

The executive secretary of Imo State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Uchenna Ekwelike, called on Imo residents to enroll in Imo Care, a health insurance package of the state government, both manually and digitally at a largely affordable rate.

He said the health insurance package provides services such as consultation with a primary physician, primary services and hospital admission among others.

The South-East regional manager of ProHealth, a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), Dr Moses Uvie-Odeghe, said the organisation’s health plan benefit package includes both individual and family plans.

He listed benefits of the package to include eye,  dental and wellness care, blood pressure and glucose checks as well as counseling.

Uvie-Odeghe urged residents of the state to register for the organisation’s health plan to benefit from complete healthcare.