National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has accredited the Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for health services delivery, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the spokesman for NNPC, says.
Ughamadu made the fact known in a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday after receiving the certificate of accreditation from the Managing Director of the NNPC HMO, Dr Musa Ribadu.
He said that the accreditation would help the on-going effort of NNPC to provide quality healthcare services to Nigerians in all walks of life.
“The accreditation which granted the National Oil Company the authority to establish and operate a functional HMO comes as a forerunner to the enviable plan by the corporation to activate a first rate medical delivery system across the country.
“This will help to halt the ugly trend of medical tourism by Nigerians to other jurisdictions,’’ he said .
He said NNPC as a corporation known for quality performance was ready to improve the scheme and offer real-time value to the prospective beneficiaries of its packages.
According to him, the NNPC HMO Limited is poised to be the most preferred HMO in Nigeria and a role model that NHIS will be proud of because of its unique healthcare offerings.
“We are confident that our entry into the market will increase the national coverage statistics by at least one to two digits.
“We have better knowledge of the Oil and Gas Sector that can attract active participation within this sector for the scheme,” he said.
Ribadu further said that the initiative to invest in this venture was part of NNPC’s plans to diversify its revenue base and contribute to the corporation’s bottom line.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, NHIS, Dr Muhammed Sambo expressed confidence in the capacity of NNPC to fully utilise the opportunity offered by the NHIS accreditation to operate an efficient HMO that would deliver the much desired first rate services to its clientele.
Sambo commended the corporation for its track record over the years and wished the corporation well in its future undertakings.
“I am not unaware that NNPC is one of the most organised organisations in Nigeria and since they are well organised we have no doubt in our minds that NNPC will do whatever it takes to uphold the virtues and tenets of health insurance in Nigeria,’’ he said.
He also acknowledged the corporation’s long standing culture and track record in delivery of functional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
