Simeon Onyemaechi, Executive Secretary, Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) declared that no less than 28,246 less privileged Anambra indigenes would be registered into a special health fund. This fund is the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Programme from the National Health Insurance Scheme Gateway through ASHIA.
Dr. Onyemaechi reached out to the Ward Health Committee Chairmen of the 326 wards in Anambra and requested for the names of the less privileged indigenes from each of the 21 local government areas of the state to be enrolled for the Programme.
During the Risk Communication training for the 2nd wave of Covid-19 pandemic, organized by the state Ministry of Health held at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, the executive secretary reported that said “Anambra State has received their own quota of the federal government’s basic health care provision through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) mapped out for the vulnerable citizens of the state”
He noted that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) would be utilized to enroll 28,246 destitute indigenes of the state into different primary healthcare centers in the state through ASHIA. Following this, Dr. Onyemaechi gave an account on the plan of action for collating names of individuals to be enrolled into the Programme. He said the programme is majorly for pregnant women who cannot meet the expense of good hospitals in order to receive antenatal care and child delivery. He also noted that the provision is also made for children under the age of five to have access to basic health care and also for the aged indigenes to check their blood pressure and sugar level without bearing the financial burdens.
In order to reduce the amount of women who suffer and die as a result of unprofessional care during child delivery and to provide for the elderly and children under five, the executive secretary urged that this category of people be added to the list.
It is very essential that all those who are to benefit from the BHCPF must have a National Identification Number (NIN), which is a major criterion for the registration. Dr. Onyemaechi appealed to them to inform selected individuals and those who do not have NIN to acquire it before Jan. 4, 2020, which is the commencement date of the enrolment.
