NHIS says enrollees need awareness on services

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is stepping up awareness campaign to educate enrollees on their rights, Mr Ayo Osinlu, Head, Media and Public Relations of the agency, has said.

Osinlu said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Friday that the step had become necessary following complaints by subscribers that they were denied access to some services.

He said that many enrollees had inadequate knowledge of the services provided by the scheme hence the need to educate them.

Osinlu said services, also known as `benefit package’, were available to enrollees but noted that because of insufficient funds, not all ailments were covered.

He said the benefits package was categorised under primary, secondary and tertiary health care.

Primary health services include out-patient care, drugs, maternity care for up to four live births, routine immunisation, child welfare services, family planning services, emergency care, obstetrics and gynaecology, Osinlu said.

He said the secondary and tertiary health care levels catered to all procedures that could not be handled at the primary and secondary levels with referral letter because of the need for specialised investigation.

Osinlu said the secondary and tertiary levels handled surgical procedures and consultation with specialists.

He said such consultants included as physicians, dental surgeons, paediatricians, psychiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, physiotherapists, dental health workers, among others.

Osinlu said exclusion packages were services not covered by NHIS, adding that such exclusions could be partial or total.

He said in partial exclusion involved high technology investigations in which Health Management Organisations paid 50 per cent of cost while enrollees paid 50 per cent.

Osinlu said such cases included dialysis for acute renal failure, CT scan and life threatening emergencies.

He said total exclusion cases were not in the benefit package.

He listed such cases as occupational and industrial injuries, injuries resulting from natural disaster, epidemics, treatment of congenital abnormalities and cosmetic surgeries.

Osinlu said enrollees were supposed to pay 10 per cent of the cost of prescribed drugs, adding that other costs incurred were covered by the capitation fee.

He advised enrollees to be well informed about the benefit packages and give feedbacks to the agency on any challenges encountered while receiving services in facilities under the scheme.

Osinlu said the agency could be contacted on various platforms and call centre lines, including NHIS e-mail: info@nhis.gov.ng, and Website: www.nhis.gov.ng

The call centre lines include 08039796126, 08059015854, 08059282008 and 08065744100.