Top operational guidelines of NHIS Nigeria

macfranc007 November 07, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Vivian Falae

For quite some time now, Nigerian citizens have been able to use the National Health Insurance Scheme. However, not everyone knows about the NHIS Nigeria operational guidelines. Therefore, we have decided to educate the masses on this topic. Check out this article and find out all you need to know about the NHIS programs.

NHIS has many various programs that are intended to provide healthcare for all Nigerians. These include Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Programmes, Informal Sector Social Health Insurance Programmes and Vulnerable Group Social Health Insurance Programme. We will try to tell you as much as we can about most of these programmes.

NHIS guidelines for the organised private and public sectors; members of uniformed services (police, armed forces, etc.)

If you work in a company that employs over 10 people, you are eligible for this particular NHIS programme. Each month, a portion of your paycheck goes to fund your insurance.

If you work in the federal sector, then your contribution is 5% of your salary (you pay 1.75%, while your boss has to pay the additional 3.25%). If you work in the private sector, then your contribution is 15% of your salary (5% from you and 10% from your boss). If your employer is really nice, they can cover the whole amount.

If you are a member of the Nigerian police, army or any other uniformed service, you are also eligible for NHIS enrolment. Your contribution is fully paid for by the Federal Government. The Government has to pay the amount that equals 5% of your consolidated salary.

Registration for this programme lies solely on the shoulders of your employer. Your boss has to affiliate themselves with a Health Maintenance Organisation accredited by NHIS and provide the information on you and your colleagues. After they have registered you, you will have to wait for ninety days before you are able to use the benefits of NHIS.

This programme covers not only you, but also your spouse and up to four of your biological underage children. If you want to extend the coverage to the other members of your family, you will have to pay extra. Your employer covers the cost of your initial NHIS cards. If you want to change your dependents, or if you have lost your card, you will have to pay for a new card out of your own pocket.

Once you are enrolled in the program, you can choose your primary healthcare facility, change it after using its services for six months, get necessary treatment when you need it, as well as change the list of your dependents.

NHIS guidelines for voluntary contributors

There is also another programme for people who do not fit the requirements of mentioned above. This includes:

Employees of small firms (less than 10 people);
Self-employed individuals;
Retired people;
Foreigners (legal residents) that live in Nigeria;
Political office holders.

If you belong to one of the aforementioned categories, you can voluntarily participate in NHIS. This programme will cost you ₦15,000 a year, and it will only cover you. If you want it to cover the members of your family, you will have to pay extra. If you want to register, you need to obtain a voucher from a Health Maintenance Organisation and then go to http://ift.tt/2m19SOk to fill in the form.

NHIS guidelines for tertiary institution students

If you are not yet old enough to have a permanent job, but older than 18 and studying at a Nigerian tertiary institution, you also can participate in NHIS. The form of your institution does not influence your eligibility for this programme.

This programme is funded by the collective pool of student contribution. The amount of the contribution is determined actuarially, but it cannot be any less than ₦1,600. Contributions are paid by students at the beginning of each academic session alongside their school fees.

Educational institutions are responsible for registering their students for NHIS upon their admission. The scope of the programme covers only the participating student. When the student completes their education, gets expelled or drops out, they automatically exit the programme.

NHIS guidelines for the vulnerable groups programme

This programme is meant for people who, due to their age and/or physical status, cannot take part in meaningful economic activities. This includes:

Physically and mentally challenged people;
Prison inmates (those awaiting trial, prison inmates and underage criminals);
Children younger than five years old;
Orphans and pregnant women;
Human trafficking victims, internally displaced people, refugees and immigrants.

The programme is funded by contributions from the governments of all levels, Civil Society Organisations and development partners.

NHIS Nigeria benefit package

If you want to sign up for NHIS, you would probably like to know about its benefits, right? Well, here is what the NHIS will cover for you:

Outpatient care (required consumables included);
Prescribed medicine, diagnostic tests and medical care;
Maternity care on all stages of pregnancy (including care for premature children and stillbirths);
Preventive care;
Specialist consultations;
Hospital care for up to 21 days a year (standard ward);
Eye care and examination (+ inexpensive eyewear);
Prostheses (made in Nigeria);
Dental care;
Annual checkups.

Students enrolled in the NHIS do not have the benefits mentioned in points 3, 4, 8 and 10. Instead, they have the benefits of family planning counselling and education, as well as health education on relevant health issues.

The benefit package for children under five covers the cost of treatment and preventive measures for things that cause mortality in small children. This includes immunisation, hospitalisation, treatment for malaria, measles, diarrhoea, skin infections, typhoid fever, domestic accidents, pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections.

That is it for our overview of operational guidelines of NHIS in Nigeria. We hope that this has been helpful to you. As we could not fit the entire NHIS document on guidelines, we want to offer you to check it out yourself. To do that, click here.