Humanitarian emergency directors call for US$1 billion to meet the needs of 6.9 million people in Nigeria’s North East. Reps stop NHIS’s funds release to HMOs. Health minister launches book on cancer statistics. NASS To Ensure Budget Implementation For Health Sector. FG To Sponsor Surgeries Of 10,000 Patients Nationwide. Wike launches N500m hospital loan scheme. Kebbi Govt earmarks N415.8m to boost healthcare sector. 2014 contract monitors find 2 PHCs missing, 5 not functioning. CSO drags FG to court over violation of health laws. Has the Nigerian patient been “Failed by Angels?”.
The private healthcare provider has continued to receive the short end of the healthcare fund “stick”while the money-minded middle men cream off the profit and smile to their banks! Very poor funding provided for the care of the patients makes a mockery of the original intention of the insurance scheme. The NHIS supervisors of the scheme never bothered to find out the impact of the scheme, as operated, on the long-handicapped private provider who could barely pay his/her staff, much less of talk of investing to improve the quality of service, as originally planned. The operation of the scheme needs an urgent review to salvage whatever is possible before it totally collapses, as appears to be the innevitable trend! DR.I.D.ONYIAH, MBBS, FRCS. Cons. Plastic Surgeon. (Hairichest2@yahoo.com, +234(0)8033203795.)