
The Executive Secretary, Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA), Dr Simeon Onyemaechi has announced that no fewer than 28, 246, less privileged Anambra indigenes will be enrolled into a special health fund.
This is the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Programme from the National Health Insurance Scheme gateway through ASHIA.
Dr Onyemaechi called on the Ward Health Development Committee Chairmen of the 326 wards in Anambra to submit names of the less privileged indigenes from each of the 21 Local Government Areas of the state into the programme.
The executive secretary said this during Risk Communication training on the 2nd wave of COVID-19 pandemic, organised by the state ministry of Health at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.
Explaining, Dr. Onyemechi said that Anambra State has received their own quota of the Federal Government’s Basic healthcare provision fund through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) mapped out for the vulnerable citizens of the state, and the BHCPF would be used to enroll the 28,246 less privileged indigenes of the state into the various Primary Healthcare centres in the state through ASHIA while announcing guidelines on procedure for collating names of individuals to be enrolled into the scheme.
The executive secretary pointed out that less privileged pregnant women, the elderly and children under 5, who cannot afford hospital bills will be added to the list in order to cut down on the number of women that die yearly during delivery as a result of unprofessional care, while noting that
All the beneficiaries of the basic healthcare provision must have a National identification number (NIN), which is one of the criteria for the registration.
Dr Onyemaechi then appealed to them to inform selected individuals, and those that do not have NIN to go to their different LGs or any bank of their choice to acquire the NIN before the Jan. 4, 2021, the commencement date of the enrolment.