The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has said it is organising a forum with state Commissioners for Health on how to deepen the operations of State Health Insurance Agencies.
The forum is designed to fast track the attainment of Universal Health Coverage, UHC, in the country.
Head, Media and Public Relation of the scheme, Ayo Osinlu, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday in Owerri.
Mr Osinlu explained that the forum was aimed at deepening health insurance penetration in Nigeria.
He said the meeting seeks to promote State Social Insurance Programmes, SSHIP, in various states across the country.
He said the programme was an initiative where state governments are encouraged to create their own health insurance agencies and enact appropriate enabling laws.
According to him, the event is scheduled to last from November 1 to November 2.
The spokesperson said the forum would deepen the knowledge and understanding of participants on the concept of health insurance and universal coverage.
“As strategies to deepen health insurance penetration in Nigeria especially in the overwhelming population of the informal sector and to quicken the pace towards attainment of UHC,’’ he said.
Mr Osinlu noted that the objective of the forum meeting was to enable participants familiarise with the legal frame work and processes needed to access health care financing reforms through the state social insurance programme.
He added that participants would also be identifying the necessary institutional arrangement required for support and implementation of the state health insurance programme, among others.
He said NHIS would further provide technical, capacity building and financial support in order to facilitate confidence towards rapid increase of enrolees’ uptake in the states.
NAN
