United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday advocated media partnership in promoting health insurance schemes.
The agency made the appeal at a one-day media review meeting organised by its Health Finance and Governance Project (USAID-HFG) in Port Harcourt.
The USAID-HFG Advisor, Dr Atamunotoru Anikara, said that the Rivers Contributory Health Protection Programme (RVCHPP) bill would provide the framework for the state’s health insurance programme.
Anikara said that RVCHPP draft bill was already before Gov. Nyesom Wike.
The state Coordinator of USAID Programme, Mrs Chinelo Odiakosa-Mmakwe, said that the mass media had a huge role to play in ensuring that the citizenry keyed into health insurance schemes.
She said that health insurance was crucial because government’s funding for healthcare delivery had reduced in the past five years.
“Although there are still donors, we don’t expect them to be there all the time.
“We have to devise means of making healthcare delivery affordable and accessible,’’ she said.
Dr Vetty Agala, in charge of Health Care Financing, Rivers Health Ministry, said that keying into health insurance schemes would make healthcare cheaper and easier to access.
She said that reluctance by members of the public to take advantage of insurance schemes required media advocacy to change.
“We need the media to work as a dependable ally in this venture; our people need to be given a clear picture of what it entails,’’ she said. (NAN)
