-Pledges Support for 1000 Members
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has lauded the Federal Government’s policy on mandatory healthcare insurance for citizens, as it pledged the enrollment of over 1000 members on the scheme.
NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, made the promise in a speech to the Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Prof. Mohammed Sambo in Abuja.
The recently passed Act emphasised that having a mandatory health insurance program would guarantee access to quality healthcare for poor and vulnerable Nigerians, which will thereby boost productivity and spur economic growth.
Maikyau said: “The benefits of this directive are that it guarantees healthcare access and financing for Nigerians. If you have healthy people, you can guarantee productivity. The public sector, entertainers, etc., will be efficient because we have got it right. Also, the pressure suffered by doctors will go down.
“The inadequacy of the budgetary allocation for health will be dealt with. Also, the pressure on facilities will reduce, and they will begin to regain their sanity. This will lead to providing a healthy, productive people and nation.
“NBA has looked at the law and seen the innovation the law has brought in. I am delighted that health insurance is compulsory for Nigerians because there can’t be justice if we cannot guarantee the well-being of Nigerians; health is a right they should enjoy…
“We will interrogate the grey areas in the most civil way to get clarity. This will be done by the court. This will give it meaning to see the primary objective of the law.”
While expressing his appreciation for the support of the NBA, Prof. Sambo stated that it would ramp up efforts to engage critical stakeholders and ensure the over 83 million vulnerable Nigerians were captured in the health insurance net as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.