Stakeholders have called for an urgent review of Nigeria’s health insurance scheme to curb avoidable deaths in hospitals caused by the cash-and-carry system of healthcare delivery.
The call was made during a one-day free medical outreach jointly organised by the Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, Meridian Hospitals and Pilgrims Health Foundation in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as part of activities to give back to society during the Christmas season.
Some stakeholders who spoke to journalists at the venue said the refusal or delay by hospitals to commence treatment due to lack of deposits has resulted in the death of many patients.
They attributed the situation to the failure of the country’s health insurance system, noting that similar schemes work effectively in less endowed countries.
Corroborating these views, My-ACE China said his brief experience as a laboratory scientist exposed him to the harsh realities of the cash-and-carry health system and the desperate cries of dying patients.
Explaining the motivation behind the outreach, the Mayor of Housing said he worked at Meridian Hospitals as a laboratory scientist about 19 years ago but resigned because he could no longer cope with seeing patients struggle for survival due to lack of funds. He said his return was to help provide free medical care to the less privileged.
Sources disclosed that China often clashed with hospital authorities in the past for insisting that critically ill patients be treated first, regardless of their ability to pay. Years later, he returned to the same hospital to support a free medical scheme and also visited the hospital’s headquarters to present cash gifts and palliatives to staff members who worked with him and had remained in service.
He urged wealthy individuals in society to continue giving back, while other partners appealed to government to urgently establish an effective health insurance system that would ensure Nigerians receive care without prohibitive upfront payments.
Over 400 persons were expected to benefit from the outreach held at the Oromenike Government Girls Secondary School field in the D/Line area of Port Harcourt.
Services provided included general medical consultations, eye tests, distribution of free reading glasses, booking for eye surgeries, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, malaria testing and treatment, free prescriptions, as well as preventive health talks on hygiene, maternal health and nutrition.
The outreach, themed “Bringing Healthcare to the Community,” attracted large crowds, with beneficiaries arriving as early as 7 a.m. before the medical team commenced consultations.
Some beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the organisers and offered prayers for God’s blessings upon them. One of them, 63-year-old Jerry Onwuso, said it was his first time seeing an eye doctor in years and expressed joy at receiving proper eye care and free glasses without paying any money. He appealed for the programme to be sustained.
Another beneficiary, Loveth Sam, commended the initiative and called on the sponsors to expand its scope.
Appreciating the gesture, the Founder and Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr Iyke Odo, described China as a hardworking and compassionate individual with a long-standing passion for giving. He recalled that China had always demonstrated kindness, humanity and generosity.
“Not everybody that gives is a giver. The difference is that givers are given to give,” he said.
Dr Odo also called on governments at all levels to urgently review and strengthen Nigeria’s health insurance system, lamenting the frequent abandonment of critically ill patients due to lack of money.
