The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria[PSN]has expressed concern over the poor implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The body said in a communique that the scheme is targeted to promote professionalism and address problems of healthcare funding in the country.

The communique issued at the end of its meeting in Taraba State last week, also condemned in strong terms, an attempt by the management of NHIS to promote the present implementation to favour a particular professional group to perform the functions of other healthcare providers in the guise of easy access to healthcare services.

"The perceived success attributable to the NHIS is that it doles out monthly stipends to a particular healthcare provider who form a group that has consistently praised a scheme that has failed to take off on a sound footing. Nothing has changed in the way we provide healthcare delivery despite the huge sums of money that the NHIS pays out every month to primary providers and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)’’, it said.

It therefore urged the NHIS to go back to the drawing board to re- strategize and involve all professionals to achieve total healthcare for Nigerians.

It also expressed disgust over the activities of charlatans and unauthorised persons handling medicines in the country and implored the federal and state governments and the National Assembly to remedy the situation.

The body equally appealed to President Umaru Yar’Adua to consider an immediate reconstitution of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).

"‘This is borne out of the fact that the PCN is a regulatory body that has statutory membership and rights to carry out accreditation of pharmacy schools, train and register pharmacists, licence pharmaceutical premises and carry out monitoring, inspection and control measures where drugs are sold; all in a bid to enhance the health of the nation’’, it noted.

While regretting the circumstances which led to the resignation of the two ministers of health and the suspension of the permanent secretary, some directors in the Federal Ministry of Health, the body called on government to hasten the process of replacement of the ministers due to the importance of the health ministry to the life of Nigerians.

	1. 14-04-2008 08:52
	NHIS This scheme is a waste of money, we have bben registered by the HMO(Wetland) for the past two years but up to date we have not enjoyed this scheme, we buy drugs with our money.  The HMO keeps saying the problem is from the NHIS office. Guest

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