By Ebele Orakpo

With many families barely able to afford a meal a day in today’s Nigeria, health care, though a necessity and a right, is out of the question. Mrs. A’s three-year-old son was very sick and despite the over-the-counter medicines given to him, his condition deteriorated. When asked to take the child to the hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment, she said it’s spiritual attack. How? How can you talk of spiritual attack when you have not even taken the child to the hospital for tests and proper treatment? Unfortunately, this is the situation of millions of Nigerians who often resort to self-medication, prayer houses or native doctors. The truth is that when one is faced with a devastating disease with no money for treatment, one only has to look up to God and that is what many do.

Prodded further, Mrs. A confessed that she could not take the child to the hospital because there was no money. Already, she owed the hospital for the last treatment given the child and so needed to pay off her old debt before incurring a new one. Luckily for her, one of the experienced nurses who suspected the child must be suffering from anaemia advised her to get a local green vegetable, blend it, add milk and give the child. She said she did exactly that and within two days, the child had completely recovered.

It is said that health is wealth and prevention is better than cure but with this high level of poverty, many cannot afford balanced and healthy diets.

And so it was great news when the Idemili Community Union, Houston Texas, USA, led by their immediate past President, Dr. Kingsley Okafor , decided to do something for the indigent members of Idemili North and Idemili South local government areas of Anambra State by enrolling them into the Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme, ASHIA.

According to a release from the agency, ASHIA currently provides services to over 230,000 persons from both formal and informal sectors from a network of accredited hospitals spread across the 21 local government areas of Anambra State.

The scheme entitles enrollees to select a hospital of their choice (Private, Public or Mission) as their healthcare provider. The packjage covers cost of laboratory services, common surgeries (appendectomy, herniorrhaphy, lumpectomy etc.) ante-natal/labour/ delivery (Caesarean section and post-natal included), primary eye care, primary dental care and preventive services like screening for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, typhoid and malaria, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, childhood illnesses for under-fives etc. and hospital admission for up to 15 days with a co-payment not exceeding 10 per cent. Other services include CT scan, MRI, Trans-Urethral Prostatectomy, Trans-Vaginal Sonography (TVS), hormonal profile, hysterosalpingography, which attracts a co-payment not exceeding 50 per cent the cost of care.

The insurance premium is N12,000 per person, per annum and N500 (once) for ID card

In an interview with the Vanguard from his base in Houston, the Idemili union’s coordinator of the insurance scheme , Prof. Tony. A. Ononye confirmed that the union has enrolled 250 persons in the first instance, who will at least benefit from the often – ignored Preventative care. He further disclosed that the union will sustain the program through the years, with the goal of having over 1000 beneficiaries who will be benefiting from the free insurance in the nearest future. Prof Ononye confirmed the sustainability of the project as the current union’s President, Chief Osita Okoye has assured the continuity of the program by the Union in the coming years.

He hopes that other similar associations, especially those in the diaspora ,will emulate this initiative in order to alleviate the healthcare disparities as witnessed by most Nigerians who cannot afford the high cost of healthcare care in Nigeria.