Over the years I have been consistent with my passionate advocacy for Nigeria to be governed according to the regions instead of the type of government we run at this moment, as a nation.

The irony remains that the political office holders who are benefitting massively from the ineffective manner the Nigerian State is being run would rather have the country burn down than implement fiscal federalism out of their own volition.

This explains my deep-seated bias for regional toned conversations.

When last did you visit any government owned hospital in Southeastern Nigeria?

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Did you take note of some patients who have recovered fully from their ill health but unable to pay their bills?

As a result, some of them are held down in these hospitals for their family relatives to run around to raise resources, with which to sort out these bills.

This situation expressed above is not an exception rather it is the norm in our society.

The inflation which has astronomically hiked the cost of drugs and medical care services has also not made it easy for these patients to be able to pay these bills.

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While some patients are unable to raise the resources needed to offset these bills, some other category of patients who are able to pay for their healthcare services are plunged into unimaginable debt which take years in some cases to settle, many years after being discharged from these hospitals.

Has it also occurred to you, dear reader that as a high- or middle-income earner based in Nigeria, you are a major sickness away from going broke?

The reason is simple. The majority of Nigerians, pay out of pocket for their healthcare services. This is wrong and should be discouraged at all costs.

So once the bill becomes overwhelming, the patient bears the harsh brunt of the expenditure realities, which in most cases never leaves these patients the same, financially.

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During the course of the past weekend, I had a stretched conversation with a relative who has actively battled breast cancer for a minimum of a year now and I must tell you that it is not a conversation to be had randomly with survivor, if you are not psychologically ready.

For a Lady who is still in her thirties, with two kids and her life ahead of her.

What on earth would have prepared her for a mastectomy on one of her breasts, as a result of her battle with cancer?

While it has not been easy to deal with the pains caused by the cancer, the more severe pain she and her extended family face, as she daily confronts this monster (cancer) is the cost implication of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

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The harsh truth we may not just deliver to you yet, without asking for you to activate the reader’s discretion button is that, as a Nigerian based in Nigeria, who does not have any form of health insurance. Being diagnosed with cancer, is almost a death sentence if you are not rich, have rich family relatives or friends that would support you through the courses of your diagnosis and treatment.

The reasons why it is almost a death sentence is not far-fetched and I would endeavor to list quite a few of the reasons for you all.  

The cost of Laboratory and Radiology investigation services for these patients is averagely expensive.

When a patient is efficiently diagnosed of cancer in Nigeria, the processes which ensues which includes chemotherapy, surgeries if necessary and Radiotherapy are outrightly expensive.

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A terrible irony that stares us in the face in the Southeast is that we literarily do not have any functional government owned Radiotherapy center in the region. This is disturbing.

Fighting the scourge of cancer in a patient leaves these patients terribly financially drained at the end of the day.

Unfortunately for the Nigeria Health Insurance Authority bill which was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari to be an act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in May 2022, we are yet to see this act being implemented across the South East.

This act makes it mandatory for every legal resident of Nigeria to make their contributions towards their health insurance scheme from which they can benefit from when the time for its usage comes.

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The summary of this write up is for you to investigate to know if insurance packages are parts of the deductions made from your salary, as an employee.

Once these deductions are made, it is well within your right to receive health care services that your insurance package covers at a highly subsidized cost.

For the States like Anambra State where Anambra State Health Insurance Agency also has provisions for enrollees from the informal sectors of the economy, it would be great to reach out to them through their various online platforms and discuss with them to know what premium you can pay for monthly or yearly to benefit from their health insurance services.

It is necessary that I highlight the activities of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) so that Anambra residents or their relatives overseas can support the residents here benefit from these services by paying these premia for their relatives. These guys at ASHIA are doing some remarkable jobs relatively.

However, it is even unfortunate that the National Health Insurance Scheme for federal civil servants is structured in such a way that seem to discourage enrollees, if we must use what happens in Anambra State as an example.

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Some staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi for example, complained that the reason they have not registered for their health insurance scheme is that, to make the decision to travel to Awka where this registration is done, from Nnewi has been a difficult task.

Some of these enrollees of the National Health Insurance Scheme who reached out to me are bruised with the quality of service rendered to them.

To achieve universal health coverage as espoused by World Health Organization, these health insurance vendors must diffuse their services to reach the nooks and crannies of the Nigerian State.

Anambra State government through Anambra State Health Insurance Agency from empirical data, is the most deliberate Southeastern State implementing this insurance policy.

With over 60% of ASHIA clients renewing their yearly subscription, Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi can be seen to be doing a remarkable job with his team in that health insurance space.

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Other South Eastern States must come on board with the aim of serving the people of the South East effectively irrespective of social class and one’s location. These insurances services must diffuse to our local communities effectively.

Health insurance remains one of the few ways, we can improve health care financing in the Southeastern region of Nigeria making it possible to receive high end care with minimalist expenditure within the region.  

What has your experience with health care insurance services in Southeastern Nigeria been? How many people have you been able to register or talk to about these schemes?

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