The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called on healthcare service providers to ensure timely healthcare services for patients under the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS).
The Secretary of Health and Human Service Secretariat of the FCTA, Dr Abubakar Tafida, emphasized the need for leadership to achieve the pillars of healthcare financing and increase enrollment into the FCT health insurance scheme.
This was during a two-day engagement with the media aimed at creating more awareness of the scheme among residents of the FCT.
In line with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, Dr Ahmed Danfulani, the Director of the Federal Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS), urged all residents of Abuja to enrol in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme.
Dr Danfulani stressed that access to healthcare should not be based on the availability of funding. He called on everyone to contribute a small amount to the scheme, ensuring that healthcare services are available to all on an equitable basis, without subjecting anyone to danger.
According to Dr Danfulani, “We are working towards Universal Health Coverage by 2030. The concept of UHC is well embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals. Part of the benefits of UHC is an increase in life expectancy, reduction in mortality and morbidity rate, increase in total revenue, and predictability of revenue for healthcare businesses, hospitals, and pharmacies.
There are also economic benefits of UHC such as an increase in productivity, creation of business opportunities, reduction in unemployment, and others.”
Dr Amina Zakari, the FHIS Deputy Director of Operations, noted that the agency was determined to achieve UHC in the FCT through the FHIS.
She encouraged residents to access any hospital of their choice, highlighting that FHIS was present in almost all hospitals in the FCT and that only N13,500 annual payments were required for all accommodated services of the scheme.
Mrs Moji Makanjuola, the Executive Director of the International Society for Media in Public Health, emphasized the role of journalists in informing, educating, and entertaining the public.
During her presentation on ‘Principles of Effective Journalism, Communication/Engagement for Health/Life,’ she called on journalists to encourage people to buy into the health insurance scheme, emphasizing that no one is immune to sickness, disease, or death.
“We must do all we can to always check on our health regularly. Many diseases, medical conditions or death can be totally avoidable if we work towards that. Nigerian journalists must be alive to their responsibility of informing the public about basic needs of life, including health,” added Makanjuola.
The FCTA and FHIS officials stressed the need for increased awareness and enrollment in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme to achieve UHC, reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, increase life expectancy, and improve the overall living standards of the residents of Abuja.
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