How to prevent needless deaths in Nigeria

By  Ejiofor Toochi Cynthia 

With Nigeria’s tight economy, we frequently find ourselves juggling multiple bills, but hospital bills can be easily managed by purchasing health insurance. It may cover a limited number of medical expenses for an individual or family, or may pay for all of it.

According to Dataphyte, 97% of Nigerians are not covered by any health insurance scheme, only 3% are covered by employer benefit packages. The 97% are either ignorant or indifferent. And everyday hundreds of Nigerians die of ill health since they don’t have enough money to cover the expensive medical treatments.  

The benefits of health insurance cannot be overestimated, insurance saves lives. When a person falls seriously ill or meets with an accident that requires surgery or costly treatments, insurance will help make it less expensive for the individual. Even while paying for drugs and consulting expenses, covered patients receive discounts.

“When I was much younger, my parents had made sure the whole family was covered by health insurance, so anytime I visited the hospital, I paid less. At that point I couldn’t understand why I paid three hundred naira instead of three thousand naira for a drug until I became 18years and the insurance didn’t cover me again. Now I have to pay eleven thousand naira just for the consultancy fee. I understand the importance of health insurance, so when I start working, I’ll be covered.” Loveth, 21 years old.

The insurer creates a regular financing structure, which makes sure that the insured won’t have to make all the payments at once. The insured enjoys easy access to screening tests such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar testing without having to pay a fortune.

“I received health insurance from employer benefit packages for myself and family and we’ve been using it for years. Normally surgeries are very expensive, but when my daughter had to undergo appendix surgery, AXA Mansard Insurance surprisingly covered all the costs.” – Balogun Bolaji 

There are over 170 million Nigerians who are not covered by any insurance. It is wise for more Nigerians to get health insurance to save more lives and prevent needless deaths.  In the country, health insurance is provided by Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). These are private companies that provide health insurance services to individuals, families, corporations, and even small businesses. It collaborates with a network of healthcare practitioners. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) regulates the HMOs.

Hygeia HMO, AXA Mansard Insurance PLC, Reliance HMO, AIICO Multishield Limited amongst others offer health insurance services within Nigeria. 

Recommended posts:

ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL: THE PONZI SCHEMES DEFRAUDING NIGERIANS Sanwo-Olu to enforce monthly tenancy rent from 2022 IkejaBusiness: Accounting dropout makes N60,000 monthly from Noodles business Dowen College: Late Senator Kashamu’s Family Confirms Their Boy Is One Of Alleged Bullies Who Killed Sylvester Oromoni, Reacts To Allegations