By SOLA OGUNDIPE
The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has developed a concept paper for the sourcing of an average of N172.8 billion every year from mobile phone users in the country. The move which is to finance the cash-strapped health insurance body is part of moves to ensure adequate coverage of all Nigerians particularly pregnant women, children, the disabled and other vulnerable groups.

Disclosing this to Vanguard in Kano, Kano State at a stakeholder’s summit for amendment of the NHIS Act, Executive Secretary of the NHIS, Dr. Waziri Dogo-Mohammed observed that with such a large pool of funds, the goal of providing adequate financing for every Nigerian would become reality assuming there is a general contribution from almost everybody that has a mobile phone.

At a retreat with the Senate committee on health to assess public perception of NHIS, Dogo-Mohammed remarked that the sole purpose of the Act was to ensure that the NHIS  covered all Nigerians, even though not everyone is able to contribute, and for government to take responsibility.

He said: “In Nigeria today there are about 80 million phone lines and we have seen how the airtime is crashing. It started with per minute billing now it is per second billing. What we are looking at is to capture one kobo per second in one minute. If somebody talks for one minute, 60 kobo goes into the pool.”

Further, he noted: “In one day we would be able to realise N6.00 per line. For 80 million callers that equals N480 million per day. In 30 days, that would be N14.4 billion per month and in 12 months, N172.8 billion.“From this kind of resource, we can be able to take care of all the vulnerable groups in the country, including pregnant women, children, the indigent, physically challenged, etc and others who cannot afford to pay for health insurance.

We have developed the concept paper that has been submitted to the Ministry of Health and to the Presidency and it has been returned to us and we have positioned it properly in readiness to go to the National Economic Chief and then to the Federal legislative house.”

Speaking at event, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of  Kano State said the sum of N378, 713,052 had been made available to the State under the community based contributory health scheme to enable it improve the lives of pregnant women and children.

Kano is one of the states selected for the pilot phase of the programme to be flagged-off this weekend by President Goodluck Jonathan.