The Management of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme (BHIS) attended to no less than 485,980 medical cases from July 2017 to December 2020. This included no less than 3,411 different categories of surgical operations rendered to enrollees during the period under review.
The Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Dr. Zuoboemi Agadah, stated this during an interactive meeting with the heads and representatives of healthcare providers under the scheme in Yenagoa on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the scheme was established in July 2017 to take care of the health needs of the people.
He said, ” A lot has been achieved within this period and the health-seeking behavior of the people has changed for the better. The general healthcare delivery narrative of Bayelsa has also changed, with several testimonies from beneficiaries of the scheme.”
Agadah said that in order to serve the enrollees better, curtail prices, and abuse the system, the management had been reviewing its service tariffs constantly.
He said that drugs that were not initially on the drug list had been added, while approval for the upward review of capitation for hospitals had been granted and would take effect from March.
Agadah noted that as of November 2021, the scheme had started the registration of the vulnerable and the less privileged persons under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.
He added that officials from the scheme had been going round to accredit the Primary Healthcare Centres in every ward and register people for the exercise.
Agadah appealed to community leaders and local governments’ chairmen to identify those eligible and encourage them to turn up for the exercise.
Agadah also said that following the Governor’s approval for the building of the Health Insurance House within the State Secretariat Complex, service delivery by the scheme would be expanded and improved upon.
” The construction of the building which started in July 2021 is expected to be completed this month,” he said
Other speakers at the event include The Medical Directors of Asuifa Hospital, Dr. John Bennibor; Bay Clinic, Dr. Y. E. Oku; Yenagoa Hospital, Dr. A. N. Uba and that of Otuasega General Hospital, Dr. K.M. Azibi.
They lauded the management of the scheme for running an effective and efficient health insurance scheme in Bayelsa.