Nationwide Health Insurance Compliance Vital for Nigerian Workers, Says Industry Leader
Otunba Lekan Ewenla, Managing Director and CEO of Ultimate Health Management โคServices, is advocating for a โขconcerted national effortโฃ to ensure โคbusinessesโ adhere โto the Federal Government’s mandate requiring health insurance โcoverage for โคemployees numbering fiveโ orโ more. Ewenla stressed the importance of widespreadโฃ public awareness and collaborative partnerships โคto successfully implement the policy.
He urged Health Maintenance Organisations (hmos) to actively partner with the National โขHealth Insurance authority (NHIA) and the Nigeria Employers’ โคConsultative Association (NECA)โ to clearly communicate theโค advantages and requirementsโ of the directive to companies across the country. Ewenla pointed out that many employers are already allocating โfunds for employee healthcare, making compliance a matter of redirecting existing resources ratherโ than incurring new costs.
“currently, many companies budget a medical allowance as part of employee compensation, alongside benefits like housing and transportation,” Ewenla explained. โ”The directive simply asks them toโค channel those existing funds into health insurance premiums.” He cited the prosperous 2005 implementation within the public sector, where a 10% allocation from civil servants’ salaries – previously designated as medical allowance – was transitioned into โคhealth insurance contributions as a viable model for private companies.
Ewenla highlightedโข a key benefit โขof the โpolicy: the creation of a centralized national database of insured employees, โlinked to their National โขIdentification Numbers (NINs). โThis unified system, he believes, โคwill facilitate improved healthcare planning, greaterโ accountability, โand more effectiveโค resourceโ allocationโค nationwide.
Furthermore, Ewenla contends that increasedโฃ enrollment in health insurance programs could help address the concerning trend of medical professionals leaving Nigeria. Aโค larger subscriber base would inject vital financial resources into the healthcare sector, enabling providers to invest in infrastructure and offer competitive salaries, potentially attracting โฃand retaining skilled medical personnel.
He emphasized the needโ for HMOs to proactively engage with โsmaller businesses, whoโ mayโข be less informed aboutโฃ the directive, thru targeted education โand outreach programs.Ewenla believes this focused effort is essentialโ to maximizing enrollment โฃand guaranteeing all Nigerian โworkers have access to quality healthcare.
Ultimately, ewenla concluded, consistent and systematic adherence to the government’s directive will notโข onyl improve the health andโ well-being of the workforce but also contribute to a stronger, more resilient national โhealthcare โฃsystem.