Date: 2017-05-15

A Private medical Practitioner, Doctor YUSUF AbdulRaheem has described the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has a good governmental programme of the federal government particularly in this period of recession the nation is going through .

According to him , seventy percent of patients that now visit hospitals for one ailment or the other are beneficiaries of the scheme as most people now find it rather difficult to purchase drugs or even visit their doctors. Doctor AbdulRaheem who is the Chief Medical Director of Yusjib Industrial Medicare Hospital , Ilorin expressed these views in Ilorin, the KWARA State capital while answering questions on a Radio KWARA Health programme , Health Half Hour.

The medical practitioner lamented that most sick people that are not registered or captured under the NHIS, result to staying at home due to their low purchasing power to pay for hospital treatment or purchase drugs.

According to him, the scheme had also reduced the high rate of emergency cases in our hospitals and appealed to his doctor colleagues to make proper use of the scheme in even treating other patients in a situation where opportunities arise. He therefore appealed to state and local governments that their staff are yet to key into the scheme to do so without further delay in their own interest and in the entire interest of the citizenry.

Doctor AbdulRaheem urged Nigerians to take cognizance of their health status where ever they work or the job they do more so as it relates to their health system and appealed to employers of Labour to adhere strictly and ensure enforcement of industrial laws.

The medical practitioner said one should be wary of non communicable diseases such as systemic hypertension , obesity , diabetes Miletus and asthma and ensure that he or she visits the doctor regularly for check up to guide against complications more so with the changes in the life style of most Nigerians. Doctor AbdulRaheem enjoined Nigerians particularly those managing non communicable diseases to inculcate the idea of excising their bodies on their daily basis and make it part of their life style.