HMO partners Media Trust on health insurance
Avon Healthcare Limited has solicited the support of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust and other titles, towards sensitizing Nigerians and other stakeholders on health plans and transforming the health sector.
Speaking during her visit to Media Trust headquarters Wednesday in Abuja, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Management Organisation (HMO), Adesimbo Ukiri said there was need to drive conversation around investment in healthcare.
Ukiri said transforming the healthcare sector requires a number of collaborative initiatives and willingness to work with others.
“We also need to also continue to drive conversations around what we need to do as a country, what kind of regulatory framework we need to have, what kind of investments we need to make, and how to make the business environment conducive. That way when people think of investment, they will think of investment in healthcare,” she said.
She said while many families make provisions for rent, school fees and others every year, they hardly make provisions for health, adding that “There was need to make Nigerians understand why they should set aside money for themselves, by themselves for their heath, so that when health needs arise, they wouldn’t be thrown into financial problems .”
On allegations of corruption and other excesses by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) against HMOs, Ukiri said the present NHIS Act empowers it to impose penalties on defaulting HMOS but that NHIS was not utilising that power.