Dr Salawadeen Sikiru, the Gombe State Coordinator, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has said that federal workers currently benefiting from the scheme would continue to enjoy the services after retirement.
Sikiru made this disclosure while briefing newsmen shortly after a stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe on Wednesday.
“We have a programme for this category of workers but we are still working on the modalities.
“Anyone,who has been enjoying the services while working for the government, will continue to benefit from the scheme after leaving the service.
“We have already reached out to the labour unions and the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), on the arrangement in the offing.
“We need those people because we are looking at various modalities on how the retirees will continue to enjoy the services,” he said.
He said that they were yet to conclude on the modalities because, “it is our aim to see that certain amount is being set aside from the contributory pension for the health insurance for that purpose.
“With the deduction from the retirees’ contributory pension, they can continue to benefit from the services without any other contribution”.
According to Sikiru, the aim of the meeting is to sensitise the public on the activities of the NHIS and to come up with the way forward towards addressing some of the challenges.
He attributed the cause of some of the problems raised during the meeting to poor knowledge of how the NHIS operates.
Sikiru, however, said that the NHIS would continue to create awareness for the people to know much about the operations of the scheme.
(Observer)
