Experts advocate health insurance schemes in informal sector

Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has called on government to ensure citizens in informal economy sector are involved in the Universal Health Coverage Scheme. The HMCAN immediate past chairman, Dr Kolawole Owoka noted that for Nigeria to achieve universal coverage, President Muhammadu Buhari should sign supporting legislation. “The signing will no doubt […]

Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has called on government to ensure citizens in informal economy sector are involved in the Universal Health Coverage Scheme.

The HMCAN immediate past chairman, Dr Kolawole Owoka noted that for Nigeria to achieve universal coverage, President Muhammadu Buhari should sign supporting legislation.

“The signing will no doubt boost the scope of coverage and increase the market size thereby attracting the much needed foreign investment into the healthcare sector. The global trend is that all nations are trying to achieve Universal Health Care Coverage,” Owoka said at HMCAN’s annual general meeting in Lagos.

“We recall former president Olusegun Obasanjo launched the formal sector of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on 6th June, 2005. It is our thinking that the time is ripe for President Muhammadu Buhari to launch the informal sector of the scheme,” Owoka said.

Guest lecturer, Prof Mustapha Danesi, said health management organisations needed to work with states to reach the informal sector.

“We should bring everybody on board. In the area of organisation, I think the respective state governments can start by effecting law on health insurance. When they do that, they can go to community levels and organise the people. 

“And in dealing with the informal sector, the governments can say each member of association of mechanics, can be paying N1,000 as premiums to a particular HMO. The same can be done for the farmers’ association among others,” Prof. Danesi said.