Nigeria: NHIS launches new insurance program GIFSHIP

“NHIS has come of age and is rising up to the challenge of supporting the President’s Universal Health Coverage agenda with a transformative Reform Agenda”.

All the families in Nigeria are to get benefited from the health insurance service under the Group Individual and Family Social Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP) launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria, according to a report by Daily Trust.

The program GIFSHIP was launched by Osagie Ehanire, the Health Minister in Abuja earlier on Thursday. Reportedly GIFSHIP is an outcome of observations and experiences learned by the previous program the Vital Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP). "The programme we are gathered to present today is the Group Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme, known simply as "GIFSHIP", a product of the lessons learned and the experience gained from implementing a previous programme, the Vital Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP)", Ehanire said.

While addressing the beneficiaries and operators in the launch Ehanire added that GIFSHIP would address the shortcomings of previously implemented VCSHIP. As he said, "this new programme addresses the challenges and barriers encountered during implementation of the VCSHIP, both by beneficiaries and operators." He added that GIFSHIP would eradicate familiar difficulties experienced by VCSHIP and it will make the services accessible because it pursuits the aim to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Quoting: "NHIS has come of age and is rising up to the challenge of supporting the President's Universal Health Coverage agenda with a transformative Reform Agenda".

He thanked the authority involved in the cause saying, "credit goes to the management of NHIS, under it's new Chief Executive, Prof. Sambo, who is stewarding this key agency with remarkable dedication, to fulfill its mandate, which essentially is to provide financial access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians, in addition to providing regulatory governance for the health insurance sub-sector".

On speaking on the benefits, Sambo Muhammed Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme said that GIFSHIP will enable both individuals and families to join National Health Insurance System.