The Managing Director of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, ASHIA, Dr Simeon Onyemaechi, says the agency and Community Pharmacists integral role is key to ensuring improved health conditions of the people through health insurance scheme.
In his keynote speech at the thirty-third annual conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, Dr Onyemaechi maintained that Universal Health Coverage requires the involvement of major stakeholders in the health sector.
The role of Community Pharmacists in the administration of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Onyemaechi said there are members engaged to provide its facilities with quality-assured medicines for enrollees, adding that to ensure that out-of-stock syndrome doesn’t hamper its operations, the agency has linkages with some Community Pharmacists across the state.
He said Community Pharmacists can collaborate with ASHIA for more impact through community outreach health programmes, as well as using their reach and services to get more people enrolled into the scheme by referring those having challenges in purchasing prescribed medications.
He said that Governor Chukwuma Soludo, instead of upward review of money for enrollment, increased subsidy for the scheme to ensure the sustenance of the programme.
In his remark, the Anambra State Chairman of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Pharmacist Henry Iloh, said the event provided an opportunity to chart a way forward, especially how to get pharmacists’ input in the overall well-being of patients, ASHIA enrollees, citizens and residents of the state.
Earlier the Chairman of the event, Dr Ikem Odumodu, said that low budgetary allocation, limited knowledge at subnational level, high out-of-pocket expenditure, are challenges to health insurance policy and called for strategic collaboration to address them.
Some participants at the event, including a one-time Chairman of the association in the state, Pharmacist Uche Akpakama, Secretary, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, Pharmacist Onyeka Obidiegwu, and a Fellow, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharmacist Ifeanyi Okeke, said integrating Community Pharmacists in providing services to ASHIA enrollees will boost operations of the agency.
National Financial Secretary of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Pharmacist Obiageli Ikwu, represented the National Chairman of the association, Pharmacist Adewale Oladigbolu at the event with the theme, Innovative strategies for expanding community pharmacy services in Anambra, a path to Universal Health Coverage.
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