NHIS sanctions health service provider in Ilorin

THE National HealthInsurance Scheme(NHIS) has sanctioned one of its health service providers in the North-Central zone for unethical practice.Speaking at a forum organised for the enrollees in the scheme by the North-Central zonal office of the NHIS, the zonal coordinator of the scheme, Mallam Attahiru Ibrahim, said some health providers made false claims on specific medical items that attracted cost which they did not carry out on the enrollees.'One of the examples is the claim of surgical operation. So, when we get across to such enrollee and it was found out that no such medical service was rendered, the provider would then be sanctioned. We have sanctioned one here in Ilorin for unwholesome practice, but others are complying with rules and regulations of the scheme,' he said.The NHIS coordinator, who said that co-payment by the enrollee in the scheme was 10 per cent of the total cost of drug given by the health service provider, added that some providers unlawfully charged enrollees 10 per cent of the cost of medical expenses.Ibrahim, who said the zonal office of the scheme had intensified education and awareness programmes for both the enrollees and the providers, added that the challenges persisted because the system was new, stressing that it was only when the cases became so serious that providers were sanctioned.The NHIS coordinator also said that some enrollees connived with health providers to ask for such items like bags of rice or carton of milk as part of their contributions that were not accessed over a period of time.
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