Health
Trade Fair: Health Insurance Not Only For Govt Workers – NHIS
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) yesterday said that the scheme was not for government workers alone but for all Nigerians.
The Executive Secretary, NHIS, Prof. Nasir Sambo, made this known at the 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair.
Sambo, represented by Zonal Coordinator, NHIS LagosMr Femi Akingbade, said NHIS had introduced a programme for all families to benefit from the insurance scheme.
He said that the programme was for groups, individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP) which was launched in November 2020.
According to him, there is a notion which people believe, that health insurance is for people that work for the government and that is what we are here to change, today.
“The national health insurance scheme is not only for those that are employed by the federal government.
“We are actually creating value, programmes for individuals, family members and groups.
“And in line with that, we are partnering with state governments to be able to make sure that health insurance is mandatory at all levels and also for all citizens,” he said.
He noted that most times, people do not prepare for the catastrophic nature of health care, adding that the cost of health care today was so astronomical.
Sambo said that the cost of health care could actually push people into poverty.
“With health insurance, you actually prepay for when you are going to need the health care and that is why we are here today.
“We want to reiterate the stand of NHIS because our main function is the provision of affordable and quality health care services to all Nigerians.
“The country is shifting from communicable to non-communicable diseases, and the number of people being diagnosed of non-communicable diseases is on the rise and the cost of treating the disease is high.
“With insurance all these things can be curbed,” he said.
Deputy Manager, Former Sector Department, NHIS Dr Kapoona Etena, noted that the criteria to join the scheme was the ability to pay or be paid for.
She said that individuals and philanthropists could pay for the low income earners.
Etena said that it had three contributory rate: individual which had up to three persons at N45,000 per annum; family, minimum of four and up to nine persons at N 60,000 per annum.
She said that for the family, each additional person would pay N15, 000 and for group, it had a minimum of ten persons at the rate of N150, 000.
“The benefits are under three categories; primary, secondary and tertiary cares. What the primary cannot carry the secondary will and likewise the tertiary.
“This programme formalises the informal sector, it brings everyone on board, it is affordable and very comprehensive,” she said.
Earlier, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Mrs Toki Mabogunje, urged the federal government to increase the budgetary allocation for health care services.
Mabogunje said that this should be done as a deliberate step to enhance Nigerians human development in the health care sector.
“We are not doing well at all in this area.
“Not just for pushing the allocation, we must ensure that funds are released for stable institute of health care so that they can provide sound services to our people.
“This will also stop Nigerians who travel abroad for modern care and spend our hard earned money outside,” she said.
Mabogunje represented by Dr Michael Cole, Deputy President, LCCI, urged the NHIS for more enlightenment so that more people would enter the scheme.
She urged the NHIS to build a formidable stakeholders platform, including representatives of health institutions, accredited health care providers, Federal ministries and the private sector.
“This platform will drive discussions on critical issues on health service delivery and put up measures to ensure stakeholders satisfaction as well as engender transparency and accountability.
“This is very key because it will involve all those who are involved in delivering medical care services to people,” she said. (NAN)
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.
