ANAC ENDORSES THE NIGERIAN HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME

The All Nigerian American Congress has completely endorsed and approved the Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme with a full thumbs up. This is the best program yet to be unloaded by the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo and indeed the most well run program at this point, that we are aware of in Nigeria. We at All Nigerian American Congress had passed our Medical Development Assistance Program following series of debate in our house of delegates and the Upper house of Trustees and we were preparing for introduction of the program into Nigeria. We got an invitation from the Executive Director of the Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme to a briefing on the NHIS program scheduled here in the United States for December 13th, 2005.

In attendance was the Chairman of the Governing Board of NHIS Mr. O. Olapade and the Executive Director Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lecky, the CEO of Flexmed Care Inc, Mr. Godwin Esseshawn, Chairman All Nigerian American Congress Dan Edokpolo Austin M.D, Association of Nigerian Physician in Americas representative Dr. Emeruwa, and other executives representing United States health business community. The session was well coordinated and the presentations were concise and very enlightening. Dr. Mohammed Lecky a US trained health care professional, quite knowledgeable about the essentials of instituting a structural health care program of this magnitude.  Upon completing this briefing session in Miami, Florida on December, 13th, 2005, All Nigerian American Congress through its Chairman, Dan Austin M.D invited  Dr. Mohammed Lecky to come to the Washington DC, Maryland area for a Workshop and Town hall meeting to further exchange this program to local Nigerian health corporations and professionals.

The NHIS team headed by Dr. Lecky conducted a five hour workshop at the Radisson Hotel, Largo Maryland, on December 22nd, 2005. The program is simple, for the first time since 1964 when the idea of such a program was introduced to the Nigerian legislature, the Nigerian National health Insurance program was finally successfully lunched and commenced by the applaud-able efforts of Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lecky, following only 7months of appointment to this office. The program provides health care coverage for Nigerians beginning with a monthly payment structure of only 5% of basic salary, the health coverage will cover all doctors office visit, labs, pharmacy drug coverage, hospital care, maternity care for individuals and all their family members. To ease the introduction of the program the Nigerian government of Olusegun Obasanjo has opted to pay for the program for the first two years. The NHIS would primarily be a regulatory body, and approved Health Management organization would assist in running the program. The NHIS has began a comprehensive program of certifying multiple facilities and providers across the country.

This program is an excellent program commented Dr. Dan Edokpolo Austin, Chairman of All Nigerian American Congress, who is a physician by training and presently head a US based health plan in the Washington DC Maryland area. Indeed it has all the necessary parameters for for successful inception. I am most impressed with the person directing the program, Dr. Mohammed Lecky, a Harvard trained health professional, who in all accounts and my participation with him for the past two weeks seems to have a very convincing grasp of all the essential of large scale health development program. I am very impressed with the guy.  We at ANAC employed quite high standards in assessing health programs, especially having lived and exposed to one of the  best health care systems in the world, our goal is to prescribe for Nigeria nothing less than the best attainable health care system in the world. NHIS may not be the best at its present form and stage, however with a fairly good program as it is, and with the capable leadership of Dr. Mohammed Lecky, we are confident enough to go all the way with this program.

We are also endorsing the diaspora program whole heartily. Also in attendance in the Maryland workshop was Dr. Olakassim the Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora organization (NIDO), who is also a physician by training, who have also expressed a very receptive support for this program. We now have something to work with, it may not be perfect, its more like the American health care system, I would have preferred it to be like the Canadian system,  the Canadian based Dr. Olakassim remarked as to make the point of his domicile. We are going to work closely with all the diaspora organization continued Dr. Austin the Chairman of ANAC, as you can see here today, Dr. Olakassim, and I are working at all levels to synergistically reach our community to bring the necessary success and progress that we most importantly need. Also present in the workshop was the Vice Chairman of ANAC Mohammed Bagudu, Dr. Ogu Emerum of Physician Vision for peace of Norfolk, Virginia (ANAC Virginia delegate), Dr. Abdul Lateef kareem a Chicago based Physician and newly elected Sec. General of ANAC. The New Democrat Nigerian presidential aspirant and Upper house delegate Trustee of ANAC, Akeem Bello who also chairs the Social Security Committee of ANAC, the CEO of Flexmed care Godwin Esseshawn, Chuks Eleonu Chair of Africa Diaspora Organization (APAC), Political Action Committee member of ANAC, Hussein Musa head Corporate Affairs for NHIS, Tunji Fakunmoju of Novantis E. health, Mr Omorogbe a Director with, Maryland Int. Dev. Corp, ANAC Del. Maryland, Irrenegbe Osifo Energy and Power Committe of ANAC, numerous health professionals and corporate leaders in the health care field in the Washington DC, Maryland area.

We are going to recommend this to the estimated 2-4 million Nigerians in North America. ANAC would immediately commence an optional enrollment program for its members, we already have the technology in place as we designed for our Medical Development and Assistant Program. In fact we have commenced a registration negotiation process with NHIS to grant us the agency for registration of Nigerians in America, this will cover their care when they visit Nigeria or if they want to sponsor a relative in Nigeria. We are presently working with Flexmed Care to perfect the agency negotiation program for ANAC, so that all Nigerians in the United States, Canada and all other diaspora, would be able to go to www.anacweb.org and enroll for NHIS coverage. Once we have completed the arrangement,  we would present this program for ratification to our Upper and lower house of delegates, though both houses had earlier voted for the Medical Development Assistance Program, which is essentially identical to this NHIS program. We believe very shortly, this program enrollment would be available on our website. For question regarding this program, participation you may contact us at memberservices@anacweb.org we should be able to provide all the necessary answers or we would refer you to the appropriate agencies who can help.