As part of its efforts to ensure that all residents of Bayelsa State enjoy affordable healthcare services, the management of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme visited the Mechanic Village in Imiringi to enlighten members of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) on the need to enroll under the scheme.
The visit, which took place on September 28, 2023, represents a significant stride toward ensuring that all NATA members in the state have the opportunity to access quality healthcare without financial burdens.
Dr. Tuebi Richard, the Head of Marketing at Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme, led the enlightenment team and highlighted the numerous benefits of enrolling under the scheme, emphasizing that it provides affordable, effective, and efficient healthcare services to enrollees.
Dr. Tuebi noted how the scheme is saving lives in Bayelsa State, pointing out that the benefits derived from the scheme are enormous, making it disadvantageous for anyone to be left out of the scheme.
He explained the workings of the BHIS Premium Card, stressing that it is a special card that grants the owner access to healthcare services under the BHIS.
Dr. Tuebi went further to explain that the scheme allows adults in the private sector to pay 80 Naira and children 50 Naira only per day, urging NATA members to call BHIS helplines right at the hospital whenever they face challenges or difficulty in accessing healthcare services, and the management of the scheme will come to their aid.
While speaking on behalf of NATA members, Mr. Ebimobowei Sikpi, Chairman of NATA, Bayelsa State, expressed his gratitude to the BHIS team for enlightening them on the benefits of being an enrollee under the BHIS. He shared a heart-wrenching story of one of their members who faced a dire situation due to the inability to access medical care because of financial constraints.
He applauded the establishment of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme and pledged not only to enroll himself and his family members but also promised to enroll the oldest person among the members of the association and a member who lost a child to the cold hands of death because of financial difficulty, making him unable to access healthcare.
He also promised to encourage other members of the association to enroll under the scheme and expressed a desire that BHIS would commence enrollment of his members under the scheme without delay. “I want you people (BHIS) to start enrolling my people immediately because I don’t want my people to suffer from health challenges due to a lack of money to go to the hospital,” he said.
On his part, Mr. Abadiefoni Bueseme, the Secretary of NATA, called on the state government to consider the establishment of a well-equipped hospital at the Mechanic Village to ease their difficulty in going far to access healthcare.
In all, the visit by the BHIS Awareness Campaign Team to the Mechanic Village was a step in the right direction towards the plans of securing better healthcare services for NATA members in Bayelsa State. All residents are strongly encouraged to key into the BHIS, as the scheme is a platform for receiving top-notch healthcare services that can profoundly impact the lives of the people.
