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HMCAN wants NHIS to name, shame defaulters among HMOs

HMCAN wants NHIS to name, shame defaulters among HMOs
By Talatu Maiwada
HMOs
Abuja, Oct. 25, 2018 (NAN) The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has called on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to name and shame defaulters among Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs).
Mr Tunde Ladele, the Chairman of the association, who made the demand in a statement on Thursday, in Abuja, said it was not possible that all HMOs were operating with total defaults.
“We challenge the leadership of NHIS to `Name and Shame’ those who are breaching standards or engaged in sharp practices instead of persistent global condemnation of all HMOs,’’ he said.
Ladele said HMCAN considered it urgent and crucial for the suspended Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, to make clarifications to innocent Nigerians who have been inundated with false information.
On the re-accreditation of HMOs, Ladele noted that re-accreditation has been done successfully in the scheme without much pressure as was in the latest experience driven by Yusuf.
He said letters of non-indebtedness was introduced; healthcare facilities were instigated against HMOs amidst threats of deactivation of HMOs without reasonable justification.
“At the submission of the first report of the exercise to the Governing Council in April, 23 of the 59 HMOs were deactivated without concrete cause, as majority were compliant with set criteria.
“The council felt differently and directed that exercise must be to enforce compliance with standards set by the NHIS and not to kill businesses.
“Unfortunately Prof. Yusuf considered this a gesture of connivance between the council and HMOs, publicly describing the two as `bed fellows’, and refused to release the report of the re-accreditation to council for approval till date.
“HMCAN will like to reiterate that it is not possible that all HMOs are operating with total defaults.
“We therefore challenge the leadership of NHIS to `Name and Shame’ those who are breaching standards or engaged in sharp practices instead of persistent global condemnation of all HMOs,’’ he stressed.
He added that the NHIS has the statutory authority, the operational mandate and instruments to enforce compliance in the industry, noting that the current bitterness and acrimony in the young industry is unnecessary and avoidable.
Ladele noted that Yusuf has a leading item named `HMOs must do‘ crusade which was the refunds the HMOs were making to NHIS and the HMOs complied to save the industry.
He said the NHIS boss arrived on his assignment with a mindset to undermine the HMOs, which was neither professional nor operational but personal. (NAN)
TIM/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Association supports proposed amendment of NHIS Act

HMCAN supports proposed amendment of NHIS Act

NAN-HG-6

Amendment

By Talatu Maiwada

Abuja, May 18, 2017 (NAN) The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has endorsed the proposed amendment of the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2004, to ensure effective and quality healthcare delivery.

The association made its position known in a memorandum it presented at a public hearing on the repeal of NHIS Act organised by the Senate Committee on Health in Abuja.

The proposal was to effect some major changes in the nomenclature and operations of NHIS to make it more effective as a regulatory body similar to PENCOM, NDIC and NAICOM.

A copy of the HMCAN’s memorandum was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja by the Publicity Secretary of the association, Dr Lekan Ewenla.

It is titled “Memorandum on a Bill for an Act to repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme Act CAP N42, LFN 2004 and to enact the National Health Insurance Commission Bill, 2017 (SB.278)’’.

In the memorandum, the HMCAN said it wants the NHIS to be transformed to National Health Insurance Commission strictly as a regulator with a strong regulatory apparatus to coordinate, monitor and sanction erring Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs).

“For good succession plan and systematic growth of National Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria there should be at least two other directors in the Council of the commission,’’ it said.

While recommending that the appointment of the Director-General of the commission should follow global standard of recruitment of professionals for strategic regulatory bodies, the HMOs said it was not interested to be part of the council’s commission.

However, HMCAN canvassed for the expansion of health insurance to cover majority of Nigerians, adding that HMOs should be given an enabling environment to operate on the concept of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“That the fund for the public sector social health insurance scheme and other funds that may come from the consolidated revenue or international donors for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and programmes for the vulnerable should be handled by a Board of Trustees (BOT), independent of the commission,’’ it further recommended.

The association advised the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, to provide documentary evidence for all his allegations of sharp practices against the HMOs as a way of strengthening the health insurance operations in the country.

Besides, HMCAN urged the NHIS executive secretary to be guided by existing laws governing the operations of the scheme and stop smearing the integrity of HMOs. (NAN)

TIM/OSA/MST

Edited by Shittu Obasa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola