The Director-General, Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme (DSCHS), Olorogun Dr. Isaac Akpoveta, has cauctioned health care providers against cutting corners in carrying out their responsibilities in the treatment of patients in the scheme.
The DG, who gave this advise in Asaba at a stakeholders engagement with civil servants focusing on sensitization around recent policy updates about the scheme, said any health care provider who gives bills for unrendered services is liable to fine or prosecution.
He decried the attitude of health care providers who denies patients complete dosage of drugs even when such have been provided by the government who pays the salaries of the service providers noting that it was serious offense to engage in such act.
“Government employed you pays your salaries, provide drugs while not give the patients the required drugs?” Akpoveta who was a one time chairman governing council of the university of Calabar, said he derived joy in saving the ‘common man’ in the society noted that no one can blackmail him because he was a successful medical doctor before venturing into politics hence things must be done right.
He therefore, appealed to the health care providers to play by the rules in handling patients just as he advised the patients to behave responsibly.
He said bills should aligned with the identities of patients in the record accompanied with identify photograph of the patients noting that the measure is to ensure efficiency and satisfaction of all stakeholders in the scheme.
According to him; “The state health insurance scheme comprised of preventive and curative services which is aimed at primary and secondary care, taking into cognizance the prevailing local disease burden and morbidity in Delta. And the tertiary care services which is based on approved referral by by the scheme.”
He stressed that health care insurance scheme is designed to take care of 80 percent of ailments or diseases suffer by the citizens noting that no where in the world were health insurance scheme cover 100 percent of ailments.
Dr. Akpoveta revealed that point 5 percent of the state budget is set aside for free maternal health care for pregnant women and children under five years in the state noting that the scheme coverred routine antenatal clinic, routine drugs to cover duration of pregnancy, routine urine and blood tests, routine ultrasound scan and referral services for complicated cases of pregnancy.
On secondary care, the DG highlighted the treatment package to includes; pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatric care, gynaecological intervention, surgeries, ophthalmology, physiology, laboratory investigations, radiology and other services as maybe listed by the commission.
Akpoveta pointed out that were a particular treatment is not covered by insurance all the ancillaries will be handle by the scheme.
He, however, commended governor Sheriff Oborevwori for his total support and commitment in ensuring that the scheme continue to meet up to the mandates it was set up to actualised.
