Benue State Health Insurance Agency (BNSHIA) registers 58,368 Vulnerable Persons to Benefit Free Medical Services in Benue State
Over 50,000 vulnerable persons in 276 council wards of Benue State have been enrolled to benefit from the Basic Health Care provision fund Programme (BHCPF), through the Benue State Health Insurance Agency (BNSHIA).
The categories of people that fall under this vulnerable groups are the physically challenged, the aged (85 years and above) as specified in the guideline, indigent, the chronically ill, pregnant women and the children under 5 years.
For each of the 276 Primary Health Care facilities, 170 persons have been enrolled. Also enrolled are 11,691 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 155 children with special needs. They have been accessing care at the selected Primary Healthcare facilities from 2021 to date. However, cases that cannot be handled at the primary health level are referred to secondary level of care that is General Hospitals in the State after forwarding the bills to the Agency in form of claims for payment.
The vulnerable group fund was established by the NHIA Act 2022 to provide financial support through Basic Health Care Provision Fund Programme (BHCPF) to subsidize the out -of- pocket expenses. This Fund was established under section 11 of the National Health Act No. 8 of 2014 to ensure improved health outcomes, by providing a legal framework for the provision of health system in Nigeria. To achieve the important objective of providing quality healthcare services to all Nigerians, the Act specifies that all Nigerians shall be entitled to a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS).
The BMPHS is a set of preventives, protective, promotive, curative and rehabilitative health services to be developed and reviewed from time to time by the Minister of Health, after consultation with the National Council on Health (NCH). The overall aim is to significantly move Nigeria towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) based both on the current National Strategic Health Development Plan II (2018-2022) in the medium term; and the long-term goals for UHC including health-related SDG Goals.
The programme has a benefit package that covers a wide range of diseases like malaria, pneumonia, typhoid, ulcer and life style diseases like hypertension, diabetes among others.
The Agency will key into Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia development agenda to ensure that every resident of Benue State has access to health care services with financial protection through the designed health plan for the Formal/Informal sector employees, students in tertiary institutions and vulnerable group. We are calling on Stakeholders, businessmen and political class to buy premium for the vulnerable persons.
Please call the following phone numbers for more information: 09062547094, 07067766607, 07063185156
You may also visit the Agency’s Head Office at: No.9 Ogiri Oko Road, Old GRA, Makurdi – Benue State. Website: www.bnshia.be.gov.ng
E-mail: infodesk@bnshia.be.gov.ng