HMOs N1.05bn saga: Will suspended NHIS boss be vindicated?

By Ajuma Edwina Ogiri Abuja

As the drama between the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and the embattled Executive Secretary (ES) of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, lingers, new facts have emerged on how Health Management Organisations (HMOs), have continued to milk the health agency at the detriment of hospitals that render services to enrollees.

New facts have also pointed at how the health agency, under two previous Executive Secretaries, had been used as conduit pipe to syphon public fund under diff erent pretexts. Available audited 2015 report of the NHIS by the offi ce of the Auditor General of the Federal revealed that “Unapproved/ unauthorized/ unbudgeted and illegal payment of N1.05Billion were made to HMO’s under the guise of arrears.” Even though the monies were paid without due process, the report revealed that the HMOs refused to pay hospitals that off er services to enrollees, leading to hospitals refusal to render services to enrollees.

“As at 31st March 2015,” the report stated, “more than 70 percent of HMO’s blatantly refused to pay hospitals that render services to enrollees the sum of N2,442,891,628.95, for capitation and N298,334,233.01 fee for service in 19 northern states; and N318,428,275.75 for capitation and N49,936,529.29 fee for service in 17 Southern states.” Th is is all In spite of the fact that all HMOs have been collecting billions of Naira three months in advance throughout 2015 and 2016. After the appointment of the Prof.

Yusuf by President Muhammadu Buhari in July, 2016, report of the verifi cation exercise held in March 2017 revealed that N3,109, 590,667.00. due to hospitals are being held illegally by some HMOs. However, a source at NHIS who pleaded for anonymity told Blueprint that other atrocities were committed under the past two leaderships of the scheme, which had been swept under the carpet ever since, but has earned the embattled ES enemies, as he exposed them to the public.

“For instance, undeveloped land adjacent to NHIS head offi ce Utako Abuja was purchased for N990million vide voucher no NHIS/ ADM/ 002/2015 dated 12/01/2015 when the amount budgeted in the 2015 NHIS budget was just N500million,” the source said. “Th ere was neither Ministerial nor Federal Executive Council approval for the purchase. All the decisions were approved by the management committee who are unauthorised for that volume of expenditure. ICPC interim report dated 15th November, 2015 with reference No ICPC/P/NC557/2015 captured the scenario aptly.”

Th e source also disclosed that the sum of N10.085 billion of NHIS money with a certain bank is still being held by the bank for more than 14 months, after the commencement of the Single Treasury Account (TSA). “Th is is all in spite of a written undertaken by the bank to transfer the moneyto TSA which they have failed to do severally,” the source said. Earlier before the N10.085 billion, on 25th June 2013, ten deposits were made into the same back account to sum total of N13.7Billion.

Th e source also disclosed that up till date the sum of N11.297 billion is being withheld by another bank where NHIS operated account, and the money was neither transferred to TSA nor accessible to the NHIS. It will recalled that, the embattled ES recently exposed, during Senate hearing, how HMOs, prior to his appointment in 2016, illegally collected monies under the guise of arrears, a situation that angered the HMOs, thereby calling for Yusuf’s head, through the intervention of the supervising minister. Consequently, the Minister of Health suspended the ES via a letter with reference number C.4051/T/132 dated 6th July, 201, and constituted a panel headed by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health to investigate allegations bothering on: contracts splitting, appointment of new staff under the cover of secondment, and abuse of due process.

Th e panel had through a letter marked DHS/876/1/T/38, dated July 18, invited the NHIS boss to appear before it on July 20, at the NHIS Board Room to clear his name. Yusuf, however declined the invitation. Eff orts by Blueprint to get the reaction of NHIS, proved abortive as the Principal Manager, NHIS, Dorathy Anum, explained that “the matter is already being investigated by the panel of enquiry instituted by the minister of health, hence, I can not comment.” Will Prof. Yusuf be vindicated or vilifi ed

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