NAN-H-28
Fund
By Chinyere Bassey
Lagos, Dec. 19, 2016 (NAN) The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday advised the Federal Government that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) fund deposited in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) should be returned to the scheme.
The TUC President, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, gave the advice in a statement in Lagos.
According to Kaigama. if the fund is not paid back to the NHIS coffers, the scheme will collapse.
“We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to direct that the billions of naira meant for the operation of NHIS which has been diverted to the TSA should be returned to the scheme.
“The withdrawal of the huge sum affected the operations and financial ability of the scheme in terms of growing the pooled fund.
“This trend if not reversed will adversely affect future activities and operations of the scheme,’’ he said.
The TUC President said that the NHIS was not a revenue generating agency, adding that its fund came from the pool of workers’ contributions.
He said that the NHIS was established to provide health services to workers at affordable costs, while treating tertiary-related diseases, emergency health situations and to eliminate huge out-of-pocket expenses.
Kaigama urged the government to allow the scheme to use the fund at its disposal to discharge its statutory function of providing health to Nigerian workers in particular and the citizens in general. (NAN)
CHIN/AJA
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(Edited by Adeleye Ajayi)