STAKEHOLDERS CONVERGE AHEAD OF OCTOBER 27 AYADECARE FLAG-OFF

 

By Kingsley Agim

Stakeholders, earlier today, converged to put finishing touches to heightened efforts ahead of October 27 flag-off of the Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme, popularly called AYADECARE.

Speaking at the meeting which held in her Office, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu, said October 27 has been tentatively set for commencement of enrolment into the State Health Insurance Scheme, with 5,000 enrollees being the target for the first day.

Dr. Edu, who described health insurance as “serious business,” reaffirmed that the Governor Ben Ayade-led administration is “highly committed to see that Cross Riverians are out of “catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure.”

“We need to be sure that we have the supply end ready, the necessary agencies ready and all agreements should have been signed and issued out, Third Party Administrators (TPAs) should be on ground, doing their work on sensitization and mobilization, software and hardware to be used needed to be deployed to the State, for us to kick-start,” Edu enthused.

Also speaking, the Director-General, Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme, Chief Godwin Iyala, stated that the meeting was a continuation of concerted effort to re-activate and officially flag-off the health insurance scheme in the State, which had long been blighted by the unfortunate emergence of the corona virus pandemic.

Chief Iyala pointed out that with the Governor even more desirous for the State to kick-start the scheme; stakeholders are all in arms to see to the eventual actualization of health insurance in Cross River.

“Health Insurance is for the benefit of all Cross Riverians and we are working assiduously to ensure that history is made with the advent of the AYADECARE in Cross River State. The DG called the cooperation of labour-affiliates, workers, opinion leaders, etc, in order for the scheme to succeed in the State.

Giving her contribution, representative of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mrs. Margaret Moffi, pledged the NHIS resolve to continue to render technical assistance to Cross River and updated database for the scheme to thrive in the State.

There was a unanimous resolution for another meeting to hold on Monday, 19 October, 2020, the attendance of all involved, highly solicited. The team comprised of the Ministry of Health, the Cross River Health Insurance Agency, Third Party Administrators, labour-affiliates like the Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, among others.