The Governing Board and Management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has introduced instant healthcare for all persons aged 70 years and above across the country.
This was announced in a statement issued by the NHIA on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
The initiative forms part of the authority’s efforts to eliminate the one-month waiting period for all National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) subscribers aged 70 years and above.
The waiting period was introduced as a mechanism to check abuse by persons who would want to take advantage of the system to access free health care.
However, it affected all persons who signed on to the scheme except pregnant women and children under five years.
Thus during a crisis period, persons who are limited by virtue of the 30-day period would have to fund their bills and other consumables out of their own pockets until the period elapses.
The NHIA after a series of deliberations, therefore, resolved to exclude persons aged 70 years and above from the waiting period so they could immediately access their health needs.
The instant healthcare for the classified group became effective at 6 pm Monday, September 26, 2022, as announced by the NHIA.
Below is the full statement:
