Health subscription most effective way to access quality healthcare – Avon

The Managing Director/CEO of Avon Healthcare Limited, Adesimbo Ukiri, said as the nation eagerly awaits the passage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Bill into law,  health management organisations (HMOs) and key stakeholders need to be more customer focused, develop consumer insights and introduce health plans that speak to the different needs of Nigerian’s […]

The Managing Director/CEO of Avon Healthcare Limited, Adesimbo Ukiri, said as the nation eagerly awaits the passage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Bill into law,  health management organisations (HMOs) and key stakeholders need to be more customer focused, develop consumer insights and introduce health plans that speak to the different needs of Nigerian’s teeming population.
Ukiri acknowledged that whilst this legislation remains key to achieving Universal Health Coverage for the nation, a lot can still be achieved in terms of improving penetration levels even ahead of the promulgation of the NHIS bill into law.
“If we want to achieve the goal of Universal Health Coverage, scaling up enrolment is imperative. However HMOs should not just rely on the passing of the NHIS Bill which will make subscription to a health plan mandatory. We should also task ourselves to win the hearts and minds of Nigerians, convincing them that it is in their best interest to subscribe to a health plan.  Let’s challenge ourselves to develop different options and propositions with respect to health plans and products that speak to the needs of different market segments and consumer base within the country,” she said.
Ukiri added that the creation of alternative channels of subscription and enrolment that are easy, convenient and pervasive would provide additional opportunities to drive up coverage on a massive scale.
“No matter the income bracket, social class, geographical location, everyone will benefit from subscribing to a health plan. With the majority of spending on healthcare coming directly from out of pocket, it is important that this trend is reversed. We, as HMOs, must stand up to this challenge and bring Nigeria at par to the rest of the developed world,” she noted.