The Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) has urged healthcare providers to improve the quality of care given to enrollees and avoid delays in attending to patients.
The Managing Director of ASHIA, Dr Augustine Ezeka, made the call on Tuesday in Awka during a meeting with Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of the 117 accredited healthcare facilities in the state.
Ezeka said good costumer service would improve confidence in the health insurance scheme and expand access to quality healthcare.
He said the meeting was convened to strengthen collaboration between the agency and healthcare providers, improve service delivery and address concerns raised by enrollees.
He identified poor customer care and failure by some providers to adhere to approved tariffs as major complaints from beneficiaries of the scheme.
According to him, the quality of patient experience in healthcare facilities is critical to the success of health insurance and the attainment of universal health coverage in the state.
“We recognise that there are challenges in the system, but through collaboration, we can overcome them.
“Health insurance is the way to go and that is why it is compulsory in many developed countries and we need to replicate the same in Anambra to ensure residents have access to quality healthcare without financial hardship,” he said.
Appeal to healthcare providers
“We are calling on the 117 healthcare providers to increase the quality of care given to enrollees and not delay in providing care to patients,” he said.
Ezeka urged healthcare providers to align with the vision of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo by ensuring prompt and quality healthcare services for enrollees.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare and expanding health insurance coverage across the state.
In a presentation, a Health Finance Specialist, Dr Alfred Ebiakafo, stressed the need for healthcare providers to improve customer relations.
Ebiakafo noted that patients often seek medical care while facing financial and emotional pressures.
“Good customer care will attract more people to your facility, increase capitation and ultimately support the growth and development of hospitals,” he said.
Ebiakafo said the scheme was beneficial to patients, healthcare providers and government, and called on ASHIA to strengthen monitoring of accredited facilities to ensure quality service delivery.
Some healthcare providers at the meeting expressed concern over patients who insist on specific medications and treatment options, often threatening to seek care elsewhere when their demands are not met.
They also called on the agency to establish a health bank and approve drug suppliers to improve access to quality medications and strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
