Chinedum Treasure
Community Empowerment Network (COMEN) in Anambra State has urged residents, particularly those in rural communities to embrace health insurance as a way of reducing the financial burden of medical treatment.
Secretary, COMEN, Mr Albert Chinwuko, made the call during a health awareness outreach at St. Peter’s Catholic Parish, Urum, in Awka North Local Government Area of the state.
The outreach was part of the Strengthening Public Accountability for Results and Knowledge (SPARK 2) project, being implemented in Anambra by the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Nnewi, Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), Civil Rights Concern (CRC) and COMEN.
Chinwuko explained that health insurance enables families to access healthcare without bearing the full cost of treatment, noting that government and health insurance schemes often cover a substantial portion of beneficiaries’ medical expenses.
He illustrated the financial protection provided by health insurance with personal and community experiences. “My son’s wife gave birth to twins. The total hospital bill was ₦280,000, but we paid only ₦25,000. You can see how much the health insurance scheme helped our family,” he said.
Chinwuko also recounted the case of a woman who required emergency surgery after being referred to a private hospital in the early hours of the morning.
According to him, the surgery cost about ₦380,000, but the woman did not have to pay for the procedure because she was covered by health insurance.
“The only money the family spent was about ₦80,000 for drugs they purchased,” he added.
He described health insurance as an important social protection mechanism for vulnerable households, particularly in rural communities where many families may struggle to meet the cost of quality healthcare when faced with serious illness or emergency treatment.
Chinwuko also stressed the importance of obtaining the National Identification Number (NIN), which he described as an important requirement for accessing several government services and social programmes.
“If you don’t have a NIN, you won’t benefit from many government programmes. NIN is now compulsory for everyone, and we are urging all residents to register.
“It is an important gateway to accessing healthcare and other public services,” he said.
He added that residents without NIN could seek assistance at primary healthcare centres.
“Without NIN, you cannot enrol for health insurance. If you go to your primary health centre, they will help you to get your NIN,” Chinwuko said.
The COMEN State Secretary, who is also the organisation’s Chairman in Awka North Local Government Area, urged residents to support government efforts to improve primary healthcare facilities in their communities.
He encouraged residents to make use of the services available at the facilities, particularly those benefiting from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Chinwuko said the SPARK 2 intervention was focused on improving maternal and child healthcare but stressed that residents could only benefit fully if they patronised the health facilities.
“But you can only enjoy the improved services when you patronise the health centres.
“Therefore, we are urging you not to abandon the health centres in this community. We must work with government to better the conditions of those facilities,” he said.
He assured parishioners that COMEN and its implementing partners were available to guide interested residents through the health insurance enrolment process.
The outreach also featured an interactive session during which participants sought clarification on the Anambra State and Federal Government health insurance schemes.
They asked questions about annual renewal of health insurance enrolment and the services covered under the various benefit packages.
Some of them expressed interest in making further enquiries and enrolling in the schemes following the sensitisation programme.
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