Anambra refunds money extorted from ASHIA enrollees by unscrupulous hospitals

ANAMBRA State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) says it has continued to refund monies allegedly extorted from her enrollees by unscrupulous healthcare providers who still bill patients for ailments covered by ASHIA.

  ASHIA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Simeon Beluonwu Onyemaechi, who revealed this to our correspondent in his office in Awka,  said no ASHIA enrollee pays extra cost for any treatment under the health insurance scheme as government has paid for all the expenses on behalf of her enrollees.

  Dr. Onyemaechi, who stressed the need for ASHIA enrollees to report cases of shabby treatments by hospitals to the agency, maintained that for any established case of extortion, ASHIA ensured that the said amount was deducted from the hospital’s capitation and returned back to the patient, adding that ASHIA always made sure that her enrollees got the very best of medical attention in all the facilities under the health insurance scheme.

  He said a certain Mr. Sunday Nwafor was refunded the sum of N20,000 which was deducted from fee for service of the hospital that billed him. Joseph Ejiamatu was another enrollee whose N21,350 was refunded after fee for service at General Hospital, Onitsha.  

He said Chukwuemeka D.O was refunded N80,000 which was extorted from him by a certain hospital.

  Onyemaechi disclosed that this year, one Umeadi Eziwanyi M, was refunded the sum of N71, 685 which was deducted from fee for service by a hospital in Adazi, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state. He said the more the agency get feedbacks, the more it is able to sanction healthcare providers engaged in sharp practices.

  He said ASHIA on 13th September, 2022, reimbursed two enrollees who were charged for services under the health insurance scheme. According to him, one of the enrollees who was charged over N72,000 for a surgical condition covered by ASHIA was refunded and that a local government staff was billed over N21,000 by a mission hospital under the ASHIA scheme. The money, according to him, was deducted from the hospital and returned to the patient.

  The ASHIA boss noted that due to the rate of inflation, the agency had revised her drug tariff and issued a new drug tariff from 1st August this year, which he said that the healthcare providers were very happy with to end issues around drugs, adding that all the pharmacists running ASHIA scheme have been acquainted with the new revised drug tariffs to meet the needs of beneficiaries in various ASHIA hospitals.

  Onyemaechi also informed that on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, he would be meeting with all the laboratory technicians and laboratory scientists under ASHIA scheme while Thursday, October 6, 2022, he would convene a meeting of all the managing directors of ASHIA accredited hospitals with the sole aim of improving the quality of care that the people get from the hospitals.

  He however stated that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has the political will to execute whatever is necessary in the best interest of ndi Anambra.