Health
Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme is a big Success– Executive Secretary
Dr. Zuoboemi Agadah is the Executive Secretary of Bayelsa State Health Insurance Scheme (BHIS). He talked about the successes and challenges of the scheme and other matters of public interest in this interview with Tayese Mike
Four years after, what are the successes recorded with the Bayelsa State Health Insurance Scheme?
Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme has been very successful by every standard.
First, we should remember that we started from nowhere. It was from ground-zero and today we have been able to stabilize. To an extent, that itself is a lot of success; it means a lot of work has been put in both mentally and physically to be able to achieve what we have achieved so far. Though we haven’t got the complete data of our activities last year, in 2020 we will have a lot of success stories with regards to the number of surgeries, the number of patients we have saved and the amount of money we have been able to pay to hospitals. For the fact that we are able to know how much we are paying to hospitals, in terms of reimbursements means that our hospital services are improving tremendously because we have the money now to be able to bring their equipment and practices to the necessary standard expected worldwide. That is why I said it is a success. At the end of 2020 we have saved 485,980 patients, through BHIS, out of this number, 90,148 were in secondary cases, that means they needed special care so we are taking care of them.As at the end of that year, we carried out up to 3,411 different types of surgeries from the different hospitals that we are operating. As for Cesarean operation, 289 surgeries were carried out, so a pregnant woman can receive CS (Cesarean Section) without running away from the hospitals this time around because they are not the one to cough out the money to pay, once there are complication and surgery, they are ready to go in for surgery. So the number that is high as this is not a negative testimony, it’s a positive testimony and that is why our maternal child care indices which we were the least before the advent of BHIS are now number one in the South-south. It is a tremendous success.
What input has the present government made in the scheme to boost its activities since it came on board?
For the fact that the government came in and decided to run a programme that another government set up is a good story on its own. The governor came in and allowed the system to run. The scheme has process systems and business processes which we have already put in place, so there is no additional input for it to run smoothly as far as the running of the scheme is concerned. But since it’s a scheme that has been built and we are developing, the government has also done its own part.
Presently, the office we occupy is not big enough to accommodate all the departments in the scheme and for that reason the government has graciously given an accommodation that can accommodate everybody. What we are doing now in setting up the processes and the system is how to expand. Government is also assisting our efforts to make sure that we go beyond the civil service and delve into the informal sector, the artisans, the private business owners, self-employed and the rest. It’s been a good collaboration between us and the government. Its assistance to us is great.
What are the procedures for the private sectors to enjoy the scheme?
There are no very strenuous conditions. The law that established the BHIS says, as long as you are a resident of Bayelsa State, you are mandated to participate in the scheme, the participation is that, you have to pay a little amount of money depending on the capacity you can pay, either monthly, yearly or bi-monthly. What a person outside the civil service needs is to agree just to pay that token of N1,450 per month, in a year is N17,400 per person and you know that in the private sector, you cannot determine their earning, like in the civil service that government take a certain percentage of their earning. Since you don’t know how much they earn, they have to pay that token for them on a monthly basis and once you do that and you are registered, the service continues. It’s a social collaboration system where we gather from one to treat another and the same thing for another person. It’s like social solidarity. That is the system that we run.
In what other areas can the government still come in?
The concern is to achieve universal health coverage, to ensure that everybody is into a health package where they will not spend money because of health issues and fall into poverty. But policies must be put in place to encourage them to come in, that is a major challenge, whatever assistance we need from government is either executive pronouncement or as a legislative backing to see that the mandatory enforcement of the law that established the scheme are put in place, so that people can be encouraged and somehow mandated to be part of it because it is a success scheme. Publicity alone may not be enough because, traditionally, we are not insurance conscious. If you tell somebody about insurance it is like you are wishing the person death sentence, until the person falls sick, before he will know the need for insurance.
How do you handle public complaints in some hospitals?
I think you should seek for the positive one not the negative side, because the positive one are more substantial in the sense that somebody had a road accident with multiple fractures, went to the hospital, had all his bones fixed without paying one kobo is a better testimony than somebody that went to the hospital and that the hospital could not give him a paracetamol or anti-malaria. So, we should look for the positive one. Somebody had twin or multiple pregnancy and preterm babies and then we took care of those babies and each baby is about N1,500,000.00 and the person did not pay one kobo, you paid N5 to 6 million for that person, I think it’s better testimony than some that did not get paracetamol. Most of the complaint are that we went to the hospital, they didn’t give us drugs and most of the complaints again don’t necessarily need to be complaint, rather more or less can be described as blackmail, because you go to a hospital and then the hospital gave you drugs and you don’t feel satisfied with the drugs given to you and you said it is fake and that the drugs are chalk, it doesn’t sound that a reasonable person is talking. No hospital will give you chalk, because there is no ethical or moral thing that will make a doctor give you chalk.
The drugs they give are standard drugs. When you go outside and buy the same drugs you collect it but when the hospital gives it, it is chalk. Though there are cases of drugs not available in the hospital, we have a very effective complaint management system. What we advise enrollees to do is don’t leave the hospital before you come to complain two to three days later because when we asked the hospital, there will be denial and all that. While you are there, we have toll-free numbers, call while you are with the doctors or pharmacists or nurse and then lay your complaint so we can deal with it directly and settle it. So those that agree with us, we settle their cases almost hundred percent.
What are the procedures for any hospital to register under BHIS and how many hospitals are with you?
The procedures to register with BHIS are not cumbersome. The standard of the hospital must be taken into consideration before they operate under the scheme. It’s a very rigorous exercise to accredit them into the scheme. They went through different criteria before we allowed them into the scheme. So far, we have about 96 hospitals with us, some are laboratory facilities, some are eye care, dental while some give multiple care.
What is your future forecast for the scheme?
We have the mandate to cover the whole of Bayelsa State hundred percent and we have a population of over two million according to our population census figure. So our intention is to cover everybody, but to be able to do that, we have to enforce some of the laws we have in the State. Beyond what we are doing as a state, there is a programme from the Federal Government called the Basic Care Provision Fund that is a Federal Government project from the National Health Insurance. That fund when it comes to us is for us to take care of vulnerable people, the under-five children, pregnant women that do not have any means of livelihood, the elderly above 80, the physically challenged who do not have any means of earning; it is for the poor of the poorest. So far the money we have will be able to cover about 30,000 people across the State, so we are encouraging communities, wards, local governments to help us identify these categories of people, so that we can put their names. That is purely freel; they don’t pay anything. But those that have their means of earning, they have to pay that little amount according to what they can pay to participate.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, Professor Abdulrahman Shehu, has called for more investment in healthcare delivery
The Chief Medical Director particularly woos philanthropists, the Federal Government and the Kogi State Government to invest more in the health sector to improve healthcare delivery and strengthen hospital infrastructure.
Prof. Shehu made the call while interacting with members of the Correspondent’s Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kogi State Council who were in his office to clarify some issues affecting the hospital on Friday.
The renowned medical practitioner who was represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) Dr Raphael Odekunle, said increased private-sector and philanthropic support would complement government efforts in providing modern facilities, medical equipment and other essential resources required for hospitals to deliver quality and affordable healthcare services.
The CMD, who spoke on efforts by the new management to reposition the hospital, said the administration was committed to improving infrastructure, enhancing service delivery and ensuring that healthcare workers remained responsive to patients’ needs.
He stressed that the management would continue to introduce reforms aimed at making services more accessible, efficient and patient-friendly.
Shehu urged patients experiencing difficulties in the course of receiving treatment to channel their complaints through the hospital’s Servicom platform, describing it as an effective avenue for prompt attention to their concerns.
According to him, the platform provides patients with an opportunity to report challenges encountered while accessing healthcare services, enabling the management to identify and address such issues without unnecessary delays.
To reduce the stress of moving between departments in search of medical services, the CMD disclosed that the hospital had introduced a clinical system that brings essential service units together in one location.
He explained that the arrangement accommodates revenue, pharmacy, laboratory and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) units, allowing patients to access the services they need more conveniently.
Shehu said the management planned to extend the system to other parts of the hospital to further improve service delivery and minimise the difficulties patients encounter while seeking treatment.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the hospital’s infrastructure, noting that improved facilities were necessary to bring its operations in line with the standards expected of a teaching hospital.
On the hospital’s wallet payment system, the CMD defended the arrangement, describing it as a measure designed to promote transparency, accountability and curb fraudulent practices.
He explained that the system enables the hospital to manage patients’ payments in an accountable manner while ensuring that funds are used to provide the required services.
Shehu acknowledged concerns over delays in refunding patients’ unspent balances, assuring that the management was working to remove the bottlenecks associated with the process.
“We are working on how best we can remove the bottlenecks associated with delays in refunding unspent money to patients,” he said.
The CMD also appealed to the Federal and Kogi State governments to intensify public awareness and encourage more residents to enrol in the National Health Insurance Scheme to improve access to healthcare.
He noted that measures were being put in place to ensure the availability of drugs under the scheme, while clarifying that not all medications were covered by the NHIS.
Shehu urged enrollees to familiarise themselves with the scheme’s drug coverage to avoid misunderstandings when accessing prescribed medications.
On emergency care, the CMD assured that the hospital would continue to prioritise saving lives, stressing that emergency cases were attended to before payment was demanded.
He said the hospital’s primary responsibility was to preserve lives, adding that financial considerations would not take precedence over urgent medical attention in emergency situations.
The CMD further pledged that the management would sustain the training and retraining of medical and non-medical personnel to improve professionalism, strengthen patient relations and ensure that patients received satisfactory care.
He expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms, combined with improved infrastructure and support from government and private benefactors, would enhance the hospital’s capacity to provide quality healthcare services to the people.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council, Comrade Segun Ademola Salami, commended the management of the hospital for upgrading its facilities to enhance effective healthcare delivery to residents of Kogi State and Nigerians at large.
He urged the Chief Medical Director (CMD) not to relent in his efforts to ensure that the hospital lives up to its status as a teaching hospital through the provision of quality and accessible healthcare services.
Comrade Salami, however, appealed to the management to address the challenges patients encounter while accessing medical services at the facility.
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday ordered mandatory health screening for every international passenger arriving Nigeria airports, seaports, land borders as Ebola resurfaces in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a scare case reported in the FCT.
The resolution followed an urgent motion by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who warned that with Lassa fever already ravaging states, Nigeria cannot afford another outbreak.
“Protecting our entry points is far cheaper than managing Ebola,” Fadahunsi told the chamber.
Lawmakers insisted screening must be total and indiscriminate — no exemptions based on nationality or departure country because infected travellers can transit through safe-listed nations.
Senator Diket Plang raised the stakes further, demanding immediate funding for NCDC and Port Health Services, including release of withheld funds and emergency budget.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the Federal Government has started releasing Ebola response funds but ordered relevant committees to track every kobo.
“Ascertain whether the funds were released and judiciously utilised. Any outstanding debt must be released by the Finance Ministry without delay,” Akpabio directed.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Federal Government (FG), on yesterday confirmed one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following laboratory confirmation.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof.
Muhammad Ali Pate, stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja.He said the patient, a woman, who was from Uganda, was admitted in Abuja and the diagnosis has been confirmed.
The statement reads, “The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.“The Federal Minister of Health and Social Welfare and NCDC are working closely with the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities to contain the infection and prevent further spread..
“Contact tracing has commenced with 44 close contacts identified presently, with public health teams identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts. Surveillance has been intensified, and the hospital is receiving immediate support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
“The FG calls on all public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to be on high alert. Healthcare workers must maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention and control measures, and immediately report suspected cases to public health authorities.
“What Nigerians Should Know and Do
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who is sick with the disease or has died from it, or through contact with contaminated materials. A person with Ebola cannot spread the disease before symptoms begin”.
The Federal Government therefore advised residents to remain calm but vigilant.
“Remain calm but vigilant. There is no need for panic. Practise regular hand hygiene and avoid contact with the body fluids of anyone suspected to have Ebola.
Watch for symptoms, including fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly following possible exposure.
“Report any possible exposure immediately, even if you feel well. If you develop symptoms, avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.
” Cooperate with public health teams. Anyone contacted during contact tracing, including relevant airline passengers, should provide the necessary information and follow public health advice.
“Avoid rumours and stigma. Share only verified information from official health authorities” .
The Minister recalled, “Our Assurance to Nigerians. Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014, and we have the experience and public health systems to respond to this case. However, containing Ebola requires everyone to play their part.
“The Federal Government, FCT authorities and other partners are working together to protect healthcare workers, patients and the wider public. Investigations are ongoing, and we will continue to provide accurate and timely information.
” We urge Nigerians to remain calm, stay vigilant and cooperate with public health authorities. Early detection, prompt reporting and everyone’s cooperation are critical to preventing further spread.
“The Government of Nigeria through the Presidential Taskforce on EVD and NCDC will continue to provide updates.
NCDC free call centre is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For information or to report a suspected case, please call NCDC toll-free number 6232″.
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