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Tag: NHIS

  • NHIS Executive Secretary dares Osinbajo, minister, says ‘only Buhari can suspend me’

    The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf has rejected the recent directive by the Minister of Health to go on three months suspension.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Yusuf was last week ordered by the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole to proceed on three months suspension to pave way for an investigation following petitions written against him.

    However, in a letter dated July 12, 2017 Usman gave reason for his inability to comply with the directive.

    According to him, under the Act setting up the scheme, the appointment and removal of the executive secretary is at the instance of the President.

    “Except removed from office by the President under the circumstances specified in the NHIS Act, my appointment is for a period of five years.

    ‘’This is subject to a further term of the same period at the discretion of the President,’’ Yusuf explained

    The embattled executive secretary, however said although the NHIS Act empowered the minister to give directive of general nature to the Governing Council of the scheme and could exercise presidential mandate in the absence of the council such powers did not include ‘’discipline, suspension or removal of the Executive Secretary of the Scheme from office’’.

    Usman, therefore added that ‘’ the directive in your letter under reference cannot find comfort under the said section of Presidential mandate’’.

    He further argued that the minister’s directive is not in compliance with the Public Service Rules as no prima facie case had been established against him in respect of the petitions referred to in the suspension letter.

    ‘’ The mere fact that there are pending petitions against a public officer which are yet to be substantiated does not constitute a ground for suspension under Public Service Rules.’’

    He said the petitions referred to by the minister were also being investigated by the ICPC, which was yet to submit its findings.

    ‘’In the light of the above, I wish to humbly urge that the Honourable Minister should allow the investigations of these petitions to follow due process,’’ he said.

     

  • Corruption: FG suspends NHIS Executive Secretary

    Corruption: FG suspends NHIS Executive Secretary

    The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole has directed the Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, to proceed on three months suspension with immediate effect.

    This was made known in a statement by Boade Akinola, Director, Media and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, on Friday in Abuja.

    Akino last said the suspension was a result of various allegations and petitions against him.

    The Minister also directed the setting up of an investigative committee to look in the various allegations in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

    Akinola said the suspension was also to allow for an uninterrupted investigation.

    He said that Yusuf was directed to handover to the next most senior General Manager in the agency.

    He advised staff of the agency a to be law abiding, vigilant and safeguard all government properties including valuable documents.

     

  • FG approves enrolment of NYSC members into NHIS

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the enrollment of members of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC) into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to guarantee them access to quality healthcare services.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, stated this when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting which was presided by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Adewole expressed optimism that the inclusion of the corps’ members in the health scheme would not only check the reported unnecessary deaths among NYSC members but would also ensure that they receive the highest attainable level of health care across the country.

    “The other memorandum taken at today’s meeting had to do with how we will prevent unnecessary deaths among the corps members across the country.

    “The Council approved the memo that henceforth we will include NYSC members in the National Health Insurance Scheme across the country and this will guarantee access to quality healthcare across the country, prevent unnecessary deaths and also ensure that the NYSC members receive the highest (attainable) level of healthcare services across the country,’’ said the Adewole.

    The minister announced that his ministry also presented the reports on the state of public health services in the country to the council.

    He disclosed that no single case of polio was recorded in the country in 2017, while only seven new cases of Lassa fever were recorded across the country this year.

    “We have formally declared the meningitis outbreak over in the country.

    “We also informed FEC that we have not recorded any case of polio in 2017.

    “We have recorded seven new cases of Lassa fever across the country and the cholera outbreak in Kwara state has also fizzled out.

    “So, we have to report that to FEC, today,’’ the minister said.

     

     

    NAN

  • 200 girls to study medicine abroad under Sokoto govt. sponsorship

    Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, says his administration has concluded plans to send 200 students to India and other countries to study medicine.

    ImageFile: 200 girls to study medicine abroad under Sokoto govt. sponsorship
    Gov. Tambuwal: Working to save girl-child education in Sokoto

    Gov. Tambuwal made the disclosure in Sokoto on Monday night at a media parley to commemorate the 2017 Democracy Day.

    The governor said majority of those to be sponsored would be girls.

    “Discussions are in top gear with a university in India to send one hundred youths, mostly women, to study medicine.

    “This is to shore up the number of women medical doctors in the state, hence, encourage more women to seek medical services in the hospitals.

    “We are also discussing with other universities across the world, with a view to send another batch of one hundred youths to study various medical professional fields like pharmacy, dentistry, radiography and medical laboratory science, among others.”

    Tambuwal explained that the programme was part of ongoing efforts to reposition the education sector in the state.

    The governor stressed that the administration would continue to “take the bull by the horn” and encourage more people in the state to acquire qualitative education in spite of dwindling resources.

    “This is sequel to the desire of the state government to provide more efficient healthcare services to the people of the state,” he said.

    Tambuwal also spoke on other interventions in the health sector, saying that the government had set up a malaria control agency, with a view to taming the disease, which he described as deadlier than HIV/AIDS and cancer.

    He said that a contributory health agency has been established by the government to utilise some idle funds from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to provide affordable healthcare services to the people.

    “The state government had since provided N100 million as take-off grant to the agency, while the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, had also paid N1 million to it.

    ”Communities across the state are also being sensitized to key into the scheme, with a view to ensuring state-wide coverage,” Tambuwal added.

    He disclosed that the government had since brought all primary healthcare services under one roof, to enhance access and efficiency.

  • NHIS to enrol NYSC members in health scheme

    NHIS to enrol NYSC members in health scheme

    The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) said it would enrol members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the health scheme to enable them have access to quality healthcare.

    A statement by NYSC Director of Press, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, in Abuja on Friday, said Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Usman Yusuf, disclosed this when he visited NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Sule Kazaure.

    It said that Yusuf explained that the decision to enrol the corps members in the scheme was in compliance with a Presidential directive to NHIS authorities.

    Yusuf, the statement said, disclosed that the scheme had received a directive to find evolving measures that would enhance access to qualitative healthcare for corps members.

    He said that to commence enrolment, NHIS officials would go to all camps during the orientation course to capture biometric data of corps members.

    “As the corps members get posted to places of primary assignment, the NHIS would assign each of them to a hospital where they will be getting treatment in the event of illness.

    “We have made a proposal to government to enable it make direct payment to hospitals that will render healthcare services to corps members instead of doing so through Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs).

    “This will avoid hitches often occasioned by failure of some HMOs to make appropriate payments to hospitals,” Yusuf was quoted as saying.

    It stated that the Executive Secretary also announced plans to deploy corps members posted to the NHIS for primary assignment to its desk offices that would be established in all hospitals nationwide.

    The statement said that the desk officers would to serve as advocates for the enrolees and also the “ears and eyes’’ of NHIS in the hospitals.

    According to the statement, Yusuf said that the desk officers would have direct access to him and that they could report cases of neglect and ill-treatment by hospitals direct to him.

    It also quoted the NHIS boss as commending NYSC’s role in the unity and development of the country and pledged his support to its continued existence.

    The statement said that NYSC Director-General, in his response, appreciated NHIS for its activities and said that NYSC management was already nursing similar idea to advance welfare policy of the scheme.

    It said that Kazaure lauded the initiative of making direct payment to hospitals, adding that it would prevent failure of the programme as was the case in the past.

    He urged NHIS authorities to ensure that all corps members enjoyed comprehensive healthcare service.

     

     

    NAN

  • Sokoto launches community health scheme with N100m

    The Sokoto State Government on Wednesday launched its community contributory health scheme.

    Speaking at the event, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal described the take-off of the scheme as one of the most important interventions of his administration in the healthcare sector.

    “ Government has set aside N100million as seed fund for the take-off of the scheme which will ensure the implementation of the universal health coverage through contributions from various stakeholders,’’ he said.

    According to him, the scheme is an important policy whose impact will positively be felt on the lives of the people.

    “It will also protect families from the financial hardship of huge medical bills and limit the inflationary rise in the cost of healthcare services in all parts of the state.

    “Apart from ensuring equitable distribution of healthcare costs across different income groups, this scheme will improve and harness private sector participation in the provision of healthcare services in Sokoto,” the governor added.

    In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, dispelled the notion that Islam was against contributory health scheme

    Islam, the Sultan said, encourages members of the society to help each other at all times.

    Giving an insight into the benefits to be derived, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kakale Balarabe, said the new policy would ensure that all residents of Sokoto have access to effective, quality and affordable healthcare services.

    “It will facilitate training of human resource development and ensure availability of alternative source of funding to the health sector for improved service,’’ Balarabe said.

    While commending the state government for its foresight in implementing the policy, the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, said that the benefits of the policy would be felt for generations to come.

    Others who spoke at the event, which also served as the beginning of a sensitization programme for religious scholars and community leaders on the scheme, included the Emir of Gwandu, Muhammad Iliyasu, and the Director-General of Ja’iz Foundation, Ambassador Adamu Babangida.