By Able Winnard
The Cross River State Government has constituted a task force to scrutinize health insurance utilization across public health facilities in the State.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk while constituting the task force in Calabar, stated that the misappropriation of capitation from both federal and state health insurance gateways had necessitated the formation of an independent team to examine the spending of public health facilities in the State ranging from primary, secondary and tertiary facilities benefiting from such funds.
The Commissioner hinted that he was exercising his role as the chairman of the State Oversight Committee of the insurance agency in the State, a position that empowers the State Oversight Committee to ensure adequate management of health insurance resources among others.
He urged the 8-member team to contribute its quota in assisting the State to sanitize the health sector and entrench prudence in public financial management.
Dr. Ayuk listed the following terms of reference to guide the operations of the task force, which include “to determine the total capitation and fee for services received so far from the federal and state health insurance gateways, determine the level of utilization by beneficiaries in the various facilities, determine factors responsible for any underperformance where necessary.”
Other terms of reference outlined included, to “determine the level of conformity of programs with the scheme’s regulatory guidelines as per the two gateways; identify the means and ways of jump-starting the health insurance service implementation, including the commencement of the informal sector, identify any other existing barriers or practices adversely affecting public finance management; and in line with the above mentioned, recommend a structure for effective and efficient implementation of the two gateways of health insurance in the State.
Expressing trust in the pedigree of the carefully chosen members of the task force, which cut across civil society, the private sector, the medical field, academia, health financing stakeholders, and financial experts, the Commissioner hoped that in about a month, the team should be able to submit its report to the Ministry, unraveling anomalies bedeviling financial management in the public health sector and possible ways of implementing a workable system.
On behalf of the inaugurated team, the Chairman of the task force, Dr. Bassey Ibor, thanked the Commissioner for finding them worthy to carry out the task before them, and promised to pursue its objectives with vigor and diligence for the betterment of public health facilities, the health sector and State at large.
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