Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme conducts 995 surgeries in 2020 – Agadah

 By Inegbagha Majesty

  As part of its statutory responsibilities to maintain high standards of healthcare services, the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme (BHIS) has carry out about 995 surgeries within the period from the months of January to October this year. 

Dr Zuoboemi Agadah

  The Executive Secretary of the Agency (BHIS), Dr Zuoboemi Agadah disclosed this in his opening remarks at a 2-day Training Programme for Board members and staff with the “Theme: Implementation Status of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme” at Golden Tulip Hotel, Creek Heaven Resort, Onopa, in Yenagoa.

  Dr Agadah said emphatically that the motive behind the workshop was to discuss how far they have gone in all aspects of its operation towards the actualisation of its statutory obligations to the enrollees.

   He added that the workshop was designed to also highlight the achievements of the scheme, its challenges and ways forward toward realization of its set goals to meet the aspirations of the enrollees.

  Agadah recalled that the last year Symposium organised by the agency was able to provide all necessary information on how the scheme was operated including its finance status where statistics and data were presented to stakeholders, staff, health providers and board members to enable everyone have first hand information on its operations.

   Noting that the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme was established by the state government to create Social Security System for the people, he said what is important is the utilization of whatever infrastructure that is put in place to enhance the scheme.

   According to him the scheme which started with the public sector which comprises civil servants either state or local governments and political appointees of the state have been able to achieve 95 percent coverage.

    He stated that having successfully implemented the scheme in the public sector, it has decided to go into the private sector, which he noted that the scheme under this sector has a lot of challenges owing to the manner enrollees’s response to the scheme.

    Another problem he started was the inability of local government council to pay their 5 percent Internal Generated Revenue to the scheme with the argument that the state government supposed to give it a percentage of what it has generated under the IGR.

“Since the state Government did not give LGs their percentage, whatever state government contribute under the scheme also affect them; that was what they stood for now,” he said.

    He called on the enrollees from the private sector to pay their monthly contributions as at when due, but not to wait until they were sick before paying token to enable them benefit from the scheme.

   Also in her remarks, the Chairman of the Board, Prof. Oyanye Kuncle Olowu called for the stakeholders to come with innovative ideas to move the scheme forward. 

Prof. Oyanye Kuncle Olow

 

    Speaking also at the event, the Executive Director of the United Health Care International Limited, Dr. Kazeem Mustapha has commended the Board for living up to expectation, considering the laudable achievements so far recorded under the scheme since inception. 

Dr. Kazeem Mustapha

   Dr Mustapha also used data and statistics to illustrate the achievements of the Board under the scheme, pointing out that about 116,211 persons have enrolled in the scheme.

   In a chat with journalists at the workshop, a member of the Board who is also the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade John Bipre Ndiomu has called on the Bayelsa state government to established the scheme at the Wards Headquarters of the state to enable all enrollees at the rural areas to benefit from the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme. 

Comrade John Bipre Ndiomu

     Noting that the scheme exist at the eight local government headquarters of the state, Comrade Ndiomu lamented that most contributorsof the scheme at the rural areas have not gotten the desired benefits from their contributions.

   According to him, there are few challenges the programme was encountering, but, he stated categorically that the benefits overrides the challenges.

   He extolled the Board for its high level of performance considering its achievements, and thanks the state government for its unflinching support toward making the scheme successful in the state.

    Comrade Ndiomu also appeals to the enrollees to call the toll free numbers provided, in case of any problem related to treatment of sick persons for immediate solutions.

   Presentations were made by different resource persons to enlightened stakeholders, Board members and staff on the status of the scheme.