FIC Report (Delta State) – Enrollees of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) using the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, have expressed displeasure while describing the lack of drugs and poor services rendered in the Federal Government owned health facility as poor and that the Centre is now a shadow of itself in terms of services rendered to NHIS patients in the hospital.
Speaking with Federal information correspondent who visited the hospital, the National Health Insurance Scheme now known as National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), enrollees using the FMC Asaba while expressing their disappointment and displeasure concerning what they described as inadequate drugs and poor services rendered to NHIA patients using the health facility, alleged that the near total lack of drugs in FMC Asaba called for concern as according to them, the NHIA Pharmacy section in FMC Asaba could only dispense paracetamol to patients.
They complained that NHIA patients were always asked to buy most of the prescribed drugs outside the hospital due to non availability of prescribed drugs in the hospital.
In an interview with FIC Asaba correspondent, some staff who preferred anonymity stated that the situation was beyond the staff, pointing out that they could only dispense what was made available to them by the hospital management. The concerned staff also lent their voices to those of the NHIS patients in calling on the relevant authorities to intervene to address the constant cases of lack of drugs in the NHIS Pharmacy in FMC Asaba.
From the reactions of those interviewed, it was gathered that the NHIS Scheme which idea was aimed at providing financial relief to NHIS patients who mandatorily subscribed to the well thought out Federal Government initiative, painfully argued that services at the health facility were gradually turning to frustration as in their view, patients were often asked to buy drugs outside, a development they considered contrary to the patients’ expectation of paying ten (10) percent of total cost of drugs and services as mandated in the scheme.
Some of the staff further noted that the problem had been on ground for some time claiming that it has caused a lot of embarrassment to them. They appealed to the relevant supervisory authorities to come to their rescue as the situation they noted, if not properly handled, could degenerate further.
A cross section of the NHIS patients in the hospital noted that before now, the situation was relatively okay as they stated that they used to receive good and quality services under the Scheme which they said covers a lot of services including beds, operation, diagnostic test and other services.
Also, they recalled that drugs were usually of good quality and standard. They however, appealed to the hospital management and other relevant authorities to urgently address what they described as abnormal situation.
Signed
Celestine Afokabah
FIC Asaba.
