Govt to amend Health Insurance Act
From Dele Fanimo and Collins Olayinka, Abuja
BETTER days seem to be on the cards for the unemployed and other vulnerable groups in the country as the Federal Government has unfolded plans to establish an integrated social security scheme for them.
Besides, the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Dogo Muhammad, has also said that a process to amend the NHIS Act was underway.
According to him, the amendment would include the formal sector and make it mandatory for all Nigerians to access the scheme.
The first stage to realising the new social security programme was unfolded in Abuja yesterday by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Adetokunbo Kayode, while inaugurating the National Working Committee on Social Security Policy for Nigeria headed by former Head of State, Dr. Yakubu Gowon.
Kayode lamented the absence of social security in Nigeria 49 years after independence despite the country being an active player in the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) affairs and playing host to the labour watchdog since 1960.
According to the minister, the inauguration of the national working committee on social security is informed by the urgent need to ensure that the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) executes its mandate of delivering social security to the poor.
His words: "Notwithstanding the fact that the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund is empowered vide Section 71 (2) of the Pension Reform Act 2004 and Section 16 of the NSITF Act 1993 to provide social security services for Nigerians, the absence of a national policy has made it difficult for the Fund to implement its mandate. The funding of the scheme and the contingencies to be covered have not been clearly captured in the two legislations.
"It is also pertinent to mention that the different ministries, parastatals and agencies which provide various social protection activities in a rather uncoordinated manner has not been helpful in delivering social security benefits to the people."
The committee is saddled with drafting a holistic national social security policy that will take into cognisance the formal and informal sectors of the economy, recommend robust and sustainable financing options for an integrated system and also recommend an administrative structure for the implementation of an integrated national social security scheme with a view to harmonising the overlapping functions of agencies, departments and ministries.
While lauding Kayode for initiating a programme aimed at alleviating the suffering of the poor, Gowon described the welfare of the people as the primary responsibility of government and therefore stressed the need for harmonisation of all social security agencies.
He said: "Let me remind all of us that democracy is a means to having a people-oriented government and that the essence of government is basically the welfare and security of the people. Consequently therefore, social security becomes the first principle, which no government should toy with. I am happy that the present administration takes the issues of social protection with utmost seriousness."
On the amendment to the NHIS Act, Muhammad told The Guardian that: "I can tell you that the process of amending the Act establishing the NHIS is presently going on. Though the process is not at the National Assembly yet, we have started it because there is the need for all Nigerians to be able to access the contributory health scheme.
"As it is now, participatory is voluntary, which is not good enough. In other parts of the world, participatory is compulsory but now in Nigeria it is optional. In the nearest future, the scheme will be made compulsory so that every Nigerians irrespective of social standing will be able to access the contributory health care."
