By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigerians, especially subscribers of Airtel Nigeria, can now purchase an affordable digital health package to have access to basic health care consultation and minor treatment, thanks to a partnership with AXA Mansard Health.
The bundle plan has three forms of healthcare services, including telemedicine, pharmacy, and hospitalization reimbursement, and can be accessed by dialling *141*44# on an Airtel line.
Business Post gathered that Airtel customers with data-enabled smartphones could purchase N700 for 1GB of data to enjoy 7 days of medical insurance, N1,700 for 2GB of data for 30 days of medical insurance, and 3,500 for 10GB for 30 days of medical insurance.
At the unveiling of the product on Wednesday in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Femi Oshinlaja, described the bundle as an innovative product that has been particularly designed to make a significant difference, adding that it gives subscribers the opportunity to approach low-cost healthcare consolation and treatment for minor illnesses.
“In line with Airtel’s core value, which is to deliver solutions that enrich the lives of our customers, we are pleased to partner with AXA Mansard to launch a cutting-edge health bundle that will add value to our customers. This partnership aims to provide easy and pocket-friendly health insurance access to Airtel users through mobile data service,” he said.
He added that the health bundle will shorten the distance between Airtel customers and healthcare providers such as hospitals and pharmacies, noting that, “With this simple cover, users may now have access to a medication of up to N60,000 and hospitalisation cover of N50,000 per year.”
On his part, the chief executive of AXA Mansard Health, Mr Tope Adeniyi, expressed the delight of the insurer to partner with the telco “to make health insurance accessible through mobile services,” saying it is “currently one of the most innovative and relevant solutions that will empower more Nigerians to conveniently access best-in-class health insurance value offerings.”
He assured that AXA Mansard would continue to build partnerships with other businesses, designing strategies to build innovative products that will delight the customers.
The two organisations expressed optimism that this innovative product would deepen insurance in the country.
According to reports, more than 95 per cent of the Nigerian population lacks any form of health insurance despite the efforts of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Adedapo Adesanya