PTAD to incorporate health insurance scheme for pensioners

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) is working towards ensuring that pensioners also benefit from the health insurance scheme of the federal government.

The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr Chioma Nnenna Ejikeme, disclosed this in Kano while addressing journalists at the venue of the pensioners verification exercise.

“We are thinking about getting health insurance scheme for the pensioners. We all know that the ageing population needs more of an insurance for health.

“It is on the front burner, we are still at the talking stage, but I want pensioners to know that it is a project we want to make sure materialises, and that is why I am committing myself by mentioning it here today,” she said.

Dr Ejikeme said the essence of the verification exercise was to get a baseline in which every pensioner who deserves to be on the data base is captured, after which their arrears can be paid.

She said about 13,000 pensioners were targeted in the northwest zone, which had four verification centres, with two in Kaduna and one each in Kano and Sokoto states.

She said that the exercise, which commenced on Monday, would last for 10 days, adding that those who were not able to be verified within the period could go to the state office of the directorate to get their data captured.

“We also have an arrangement for people who are ill, if they let us know, we have a mobile verification team, they will meet them at home and get them verified,” she added.

Retirees, who spoke to Daily Trust, expressed satisfaction with the arrangement made by PTAD and the way the exercise was moving.