The Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage (ESA-UHC) has extended its health insurance scheme to traders in the state, enabling them to access affordable, quality healthcare services.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ESA-UHC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria for the scheme’s take-off.
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Speaking at the event in Enugu on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of ESA-UHC, Edith Okolo, described the agreement as a landmark step towards extending healthcare services to an underserved segment of the population.
How the scheme will function
Ms Okolo said under the agreement, every trader would pay an annual premium of N12,000 to access the health insurance package.
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She explained that the traders’ union would collect the premium as part of members’ regular union dues before being remitted to the agency.
“Instead of paying huge amounts out-of-pocket whenever they fall sick, registered traders will pay an annual premium of N12,000 per person and have access to a comprehensive healthcare package that costs much more than the premium.
“The union will enrol its members, collect the premiums and remit them to us, while we will issue identity cards that give beneficiaries access to any of our accredited healthcare providers and settle their healthcare bills.
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“We also intend to extend the scheme to cover family members because you cannot separate the trader from the family,” she said.
Ms Okolo said the partnership demonstrated the state government’s commitment to ensuring that market traders, who often felt neglected in healthcare delivery, had access to quality and affordable medical services.
“We are here today to sign this historic Memorandum of Understanding between ESA-UHC and the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria. We believe this partnership will bring healthcare to the doorsteps of market traders.
“We are saying to them that they are no longer forgotten or neglected.
“This government is committed to ensuring that they have access to quality and affordable healthcare,” she said.
The ESA-UHC boss stressed that both organisations would work together to ensure the scheme’s success, adding that the partnership’s outcome would ultimately measure its effectiveness.
She said the agency had established a 24-hour control room and a toll-free line to enable beneficiaries to report challenges encountered while accessing healthcare services.
According to her, feedback from beneficiaries is critical to improving service delivery and ensuring accountability among accredited healthcare providers.
“We also train our accredited healthcare providers every quarter to ensure they maintain quality standards and treat beneficiaries with dignity,” she said.
Ms Okolo added that enrollees under the scheme would have the freedom to choose any accredited healthcare provider of their choice rather than being assigned to a particular facility.
“The choice belongs to the beneficiary. We believe that allowing people to choose where they receive care also encourages healthcare providers to improve their services,” she said.
Remarks by the traders’ union
On his part, the Chairman of the traders’ union in Enugu State, Ezeoha Eneh, commended the state government and ESA-UHC for initiating the partnership, describing it as a major intervention for low-income traders.
Mr Eneh expressed confidence that the programme would attract a large number of market traders, saying the union would embark on extensive sensitisation campaigns across markets in the state.
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“Health insurance is one of the ways the Enugu State Government is reaching out to poor people, especially traders. Many people avoid going to the hospital because they cannot afford treatment.
“With this programme, our members will no longer hide their illnesses because of a lack of money. We will educate traders in all the markets to embrace the scheme, and we will not disappoint the agency,” he said.
He noted that although the N12,000 annual premium might appear significant to some traders, it remained affordable when compared to the cost of medical treatment paid directly from personal income.
Also speaking, the union treasurer, Cyprian Okoloye, commended ESA-UHC for its commitment to transparency and accountability.
Mr Okoloye urged the agency to sustain prompt response to beneficiaries, especially during medical emergencies, noting that transparency and effective communication would strengthen public confidence in the programme.
He expressed optimism that the partnership would significantly improve access to healthcare for traders and contribute to the success of the state’s universal health coverage programme.
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