AKTH Operates NHIS Services At A Lost, Called For Review - CMD

By Salisu K Ismail

The Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Professor Abdurrahaman Abba Sheshe has called on the National Health Insurance Scheme to review the NHIS charges paid to the hospitals that provide health care services to the enrollees as the amount currently been paid cannot provide efficient services. 

The call was made during a 

courtesy visit paid to the Management of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, by the NHIS officials.

In a monthly journal published by the Information and Public Relation Unit of the hospital,The CMD explained that, since the introduction of NHIS Scheme in Nigeria about fifteen (15) years ago the price list for drugs, investigations, consultations, admission, other consumable to mention a few has not been reviewed inspite various issues and challenges that resulted to inflation in the country.

The journal titled AKTH Newsflash reported the Chief Medical Director describing the delays in the payment of capitation on services provided to enrollees as another very serious challenge in the hospital thereby causing a lot of hitches in the payment of the contractors that supplied 

consumables to the hospital.

 

"At the moment the suppliers of NHIS drugs and consumables are owing the hospital over one hundred and eighty (180,000,000) million naira because NHIS is yet to pay the Hospital," AKTH Newsflash quoted the CMD.

However, Professor Sheshe urged the NHIS delegates to enlighten the NHIS enrollees properly on the way the scheme operate with a view to checking fraudulent acts and abuse.

The November 2020 Volume 9.No 166 of the bulletin published that, the North West zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Ahmed Iliyasu had earlier congratulated the new Chief Medical Director over his appointment, saying that the delegations were in the hospital to rob minds on how to overcome the issue of out of stock drugs in AKTH and abuse of the scheme.

Alhaji Ahmed commended the hospital for accommodating the highest number of NHIS enrollees, explaining that, they are all aware of the challenges the hospital likely been facing in handling these huge 

enrollees.

He assured that, the National Health Insurance Scheme Headquarters will review all services charge God willing in 2021. 

The Zonal Coordinator further informed the Management of AKTH on the introduction of Group Voluntary Contributory NHIS Scheme popularly known as group VCship in order to provide opportunity for interesting Nigerians who are not government employees to access health care services under NHIS.