Prof. Mohammed Sambo is the Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme . In this interview with journalists, Sambo spoke on efforts taken to restore public confidence in the scheme, among other issues. NKECHI ONYEDIKA-UGOEZE was there for The Guardian.
This is the level we have taken NHIS to. Going into specifics, as to what we have achieved, you can look at the governance and leadership, the human resource, the financial management system, operation of the health insurance, the partnership and collaboration as well as the real technical operation. And if we are to dwell on each of them, we will talk for hours without end.
With GIFSHIP — Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme — we aim at driving the formal and informal sectors into social health insurance programme. NHIS came up with the idea of establishing a catastrophic fund for terminal illness, however, before I came here, there was a budget for cancer, but the unfortunate thing is that the money for that was sent to the Ministry of Health. To further care for the people, we introduced the NHIS drug initiative to ensure that drugs are available in our system and the cost subsidised. We have a very good interaction with drug manufacturers association of Nigeria on this.
You said social health insurance would cover the vulnerable and, also the one-kobo-per-second telecom charges will boost funding if linked to NHIS. Since the one-kobo-per-second telecom charge has been removed from the proposed amended act, what is replacing it; when will the health insurance start and when will the president accent to this amended Act?
You have asked two questions in one, but I will separate them for this discussion. The first question has to do with the differences between service providers and HMOs. When I came into NHIS, the HMOs were alleged to be owing healthcare providers a lot of money; in fact, we did not know the exact amount, so, we sent out advertorial in three national dailies for service provider owed by HMO to submit evidence of indebtedness to the NHIS.
No they don't all they have to do I send their bills and get paid