CSO urges FG to include poor, unemployed in national health insurance scheme
Tuberculosis
By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu
Awka, June 19, 2024 (NAN) The Civil Society for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to include the poor, less privileged and unemployed in the National Health Insurance scheme.
Mrs Ifeyinwa Unachukwu, the society’s Coordinator in Anambra state, made the call at a news conference on AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM Network project), on Wednesday in Awka.
The project is for Community-Based Organisations implementing COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) in Awka.
Unachukwu said that including vulnerable groups in the scheme would reduce the burden of diseases and drive universal health coverage in the country .
She said the poor, less privileged and unemployed were usually vulnerable to diseases due to their inability to pay for the high cost of drugs and treatments and often lack access to healthcare services.
“Many Nigerians cannot afford the out-of-pocket payment for healthcare services and this has made them vulnerable to illness and disease.
“The inclusion of these vulnerable groups will increase their health-seeking behavior and access to quality healthcare, which will help reduce disease burden in the country,” the coordinator said.
Unachukwu said that the project was aimed at increasing services in AIDs, TB and Malaria treatments in preparedness for future pandemics and epidemics.
She called on Anambra state government to invest in disease control, eradication, and other evidence-based intervention programmes to boost healthcare delivery in the state.
Also speaking, Prof. Dennis Aribodo, South-East Zonal Coordinator, Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition, called on the state government to make treatment of AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria free.
According to him, making the treatment of these diseases free, especially Malaria, would not only assist in poverty reduction, but eliminate the disease from the state.
“In that way, you are leaving families with more resources to address other needs.
“That is one of the ways countries like Algeria eliminated Malaria in 2020. I’m sure Anambra can achieve that also,” he said
Earlier, Mr Onyekachi Ololo, Programme Officer,TB Network project in Anambra, urged government to fund disease control and elimination to drive sustainability.
According to Ololo, dependency on donors has had negative impacts and it is not sustainable.(NAN) www.nannews.ng
LCO/AOS
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni
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