Stiff sanction awaits dubious Health Maintenance Organisations (HMO) on HWN SPOTLIGHT

Acting Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Mr. Femi Akingbade has said that the scheme, under his watch, will not hesitate to apply maximum sanction against those who betray the trust of the government, the NHIS and the enrolees, as a result of dereliction of duty, mismanagement of funds and sundry sharp practices.
 
Akingbade who reiterated his resolve to remove every impediment that may militate against the smooth achievement of Universal Health Coverage in the country, said the new dispensation will take seriously its duty to protect the rights and privileges of all stakeholders, particularly enrolees.
 
He said the Scheme is guided in this resolve by the rights of the people to good health and general social well-being, as well as the posture of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to guarantee that all Nigerians have unfettered access to high quality of life.
 
He frowned particularly against some Health Maintenance Organisations, HMOs, who receive public funds from NHIS for the purchase of healthcare for enrolees but end up not paying healthcare providers for services.

He described the practice as outright theft, ungodly, callous and irresponsible, and will henceforth attract severe sanction from the Scheme.
 
Akingbade, who disclosed that two HMOs were recently sanctioned for related offences, said the negative impact of such profligacy, if unchecked, will be severely felt in critical areas like growth and improvement of infrastructure, equipment, medical consumables, and availability of quality services to enrolees.
 
He noted that the guilty parties are already fighting back at the Scheme and its leadership, but promised that there will be no respite until the full integrity of the industry is restored.
 
He urged all stakeholders of the health insurance industry in Nigeria to commit faithfully to their roles and responsibilities, as outlined in the Operational Guidelines of the Scheme, noting that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
 
Source: VanguardNg, HWN Africa.