By Okafor Chisom :
Five hundred-level Medical Students from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) visited the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) to gain firsthand knowledge about the workings of the healthcare scheme.
The visit, which was part of their studies, aimed to provide the medical students with insights into the practical application of healthcare delivery systems.
Managing Director of ASHIA, Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi, provided an in-depth lecture on health insurance with a specific focus on the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency.
Beginning with a general overview of health insurance practices around the world, Dr. Onyemaechi then narrowed the discussion to the national and state-level health insurance schemes in Nigeria, highlighting the unique aspects of the ASHIA model.
Speaking on the other aspects of health insurance, Dr. Soughtout Okechi an ASHIA staff dwelt on the overview of Anambra State health insurance scheme.
Focusing on healthcare providers, Dr. Okechi comprehensively detailed the primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare systems, as well as the ASHIA referral policy and pre-authorization procedures.
She also discussed the ASHIA benefit package, which includes primary and secondary healthcare services, and provided an overview of the end-to-end system (digitalized system) used by ASHIA.
The Assistant Course Representative of the 500 level COOUTH students, karen Njelita who spoke on behalf of the Students stated that the visit was in line with their curriculum in Community Medicine and Primary Healthcare which require the students to acquire knowledge on health insurance to prepare them for life after school in a global world focused on universal health coverage.
The course rep. appreciated the ASHIA management for their time and patience.