Health
AXA Mansard Health Unveils New TV Commercial to Promote Health Insurance in Nigeria
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new one-minute television commercial that highlights the importance of subscribing to a life insurance policy tagged More Wellness For Less has been unveiled by Axa Mansard Health.
The TVC seeks to enlighten the average Nigerian on the benefits they can derive from having a life insurance policy even while they are alive.
The chief executive of AXA Mansard Health, Mr Tope Adeniyi, while speaking at the launch of the commercial in Lagos, disclosed that for as low as N1,000, Nigerians could have access to AXA Mansard Health services.
“You also have products at N2,000 per month or easy care. There is a bronze plan that you can buy at about N60,000 per annum.
“So, we have a range from of simple products that enable you to have decent access to lifestyle products; you can configure them based on your lifestyle.
“Think about it, the value of your airtime is practically about three times the cost of buying access to more awareness or less. So, everyone can buy AXA,” Mr Adeniyi said.
At the event, the company gave an illustration of how crucial health insurance is.
A woman had an emergency with the child. Meanwhile, the husband wasn’t around, and she managed to rush the child to the hospital, where she was asked to deposit N30,000 before any form of treatment could be administered to the child.
This woman had N31,000 in her (bank) account. This is an emergency. Life is in the line. She had just that N30,000 paid for.
What if she were to pay N35,000? It could be N40,000! This is a woman who does not like begging people for money; probably, she could have resorted to just that. Imagine if the hospital had requested her to pay cash at this time of cash crunch; what a bad experience!
Well, this is where health insurance comes in, and there could not have been a better option than AXA Mansard Health. Yes, because there is another woman who has embraced AXA Mansard’s life health insurance policy and felt calmer in the face of a child’s ill health.
The second woman is calmer because she has MyAXA App.
MyAXA Mobile App is your one-stop non-banking financial service platform. The mobile services have been specifically designed to give users a more convenient way to purchase and manage health and other insurance plans. It is available for download for iPhone and Android users.
In the case of the woman who has the app, she was able to book an appointment, and on getting to the hospital the baby found herself in waiting hands. The woman is not bothered about cash.
The Chief Client Officer of AXA Mansard Insurance, Ms Rashidat Adebisi, remarked that, “It’s very important to us. Mental health is very topical. It has been for us for a long time. Those are some of the things that you can access under our retail products. There’s Wellness, there are genes, and there are so many things that are incorporated into it. We have telemedicine services incorporated into it. If a user prefers not to necessarily be at the hospital, you can access services through telemedicine, and the medication can be delivered to you.
“And we need to highlight that it’s also very affordable. I think a lot of people assume, oh, AXA, they are pricey, no. But in terms of value for money, I think that we are top of the list.
“In furtherance of the seamless service delivery to the users, AXA Mansard Health is working with Moove.”
Also, the Country Director for Moove, Taiwo Ajibola, speaking on the 1 minute TV Commercial video that we all saw, said the first lady had money. That money transfer wasn’t successful. That was the major issue there. We’ve all seen how the recent cash crunch impacted so many of us.
“Access to healthcare anywhere is a critical issue. With this kind of product (by AXA), you have so much access to hospitals. We encourage Nigerians to leverage on that, and we at Moove are here to make life even better for you.”
Continuing, Mr Adeniyi said they have mapped out a strategy on how people in the Diaspora can benefit from the products. “That means those who have ‘japa’ (emigrants) can buy for their family members; they can buy for their community, and they can adopt our products to impact life.
“So, you can reach out to ma*******@********de.com, and we know more about the products and services.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance has risen to more than 22 million.
The Director-General of NHIA, Mr Kelechi Ohiri, said this resulted from the implementation of the mandatory health insurance, which has gained momentum nationwide.
He said this on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos.
Mr Ohiri said enrolment had increased to 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year growth, attributing this to stronger collaboration with state social health insurance agencies, ministries, departments and agencies, organised labour, employers, the private sector, and the gradual implementation of the mandatory health insurance provisions of the NHIA Act.
He said that the country had moved beyond policy formulation to delivering measurable improvements in healthcare access, service quality and consumer protection in line with the federal government’s health sector reform agenda.
According to him, Nigeria already has the necessary policies and legislation to achieve Universal Health Coverage, positing that the key challenge was effective implementation.
“The decisive variable is now implementation- consistent, rigorous and accountable execution that converts political commitment into healthcare access for real Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Ohiri said that the transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme to the NHIA had strengthened regulation, consumer protection, accountability and strategic purchasing, while providing the legal and operational framework for achieving Universal Health Coverage.
He added that improving the experience of enrollees remained central to the Authority’s reform agenda.
According to him, NHIA has strengthened its complaints management system, introduced faster resolution timelines, and intensified compliance monitoring of Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) and healthcare providers.
He further added that NHIA had sanctioned facilities that failed to meet the required standards, adding that his organisation had resolved 3,878 complaints, representing an 87 per cent resolution rate, while 95 per cent of the cases were concluded within prescribed timelines.
Mr Ohiri noted that more than N14.2 million had been refunded to enrollees, while non-compliant healthcare facilities had been sanctioned.
He said NHIA had also introduced service standards, including a one-hour treatment commencement target for enrollees requiring urgent care, to improve access to timely and quality healthcare services.
The NHIA boss further disclosed that capitation payments to healthcare providers had been increased by 93 per cent.
He said fee-for-service reimbursements rose by 378 per cent to enable providers to invest more in personnel, equipment and infrastructure.
According to him, 7,592 healthcare facilities have been assessed under the SafeCare quality framework as part of efforts to institutionalise continuous quality improvement across the country.
Mr Ohiri also highlighted interventions targeted at vulnerable groups, including support for more than 48,500 pregnant women, expanded maternal and newborn healthcare services, the Vulnerable Group Fund, and improved access to healthcare for pensioners and retirees.
He said Universal Health Coverage could only be achieved if every Nigerian, regardless of income or location, had access to quality healthcare services.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The new one-hour authorisation response time ultimatum policy introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has received the full backing of SUNU Health Nigeria Limited.
This policy was introduced by the agency to ensure enrollees get prompt approval codes to access care.
Healthcare service providers have been urged to report any Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) that violates this initiative through an email, with the HMO in copy and a timestamp attached as evidence of the request. They may proceed to offer services to enrollees thereafter.
Speaking at the company’s second-quarter Providers’ Forum for the Lagos-Ogun region in Lagos recently, the chief executive of SUNU Health, Dr Moyosore Olomola, expressed optimism that this policy would improve healthcare delivery in the country, especially for enrollees, who crave quality service.
At the event themed Improving Quality and Access to Care Through Stronger Provider Network, and held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba, Lagos, Mr Olomola reaffirmed the HMO’s commitment to operating within legal and operational frameworks to guarantee adequate care for enrollees.
“Access to care and quality of care remain key priorities in our healthcare systems. We know quite well that deliberate collaboration, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to excellence are required to achieve these priorities.
“A strong provider network is doubtless the backbone of any effective healthcare system. It ensures that our mutual enrollees receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price,” Mr Olomola, represented at the programme by the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr Faith Nwachi, stated.
He further assured that SUNU Health would strictly adhere to the one-hour authorisation limit, stressing that this aligns seamlessly with one of the organisation’s core values—promptness and its corporate slogan, Humanity is the centre of our initiatives.
In a bid to further improve access and quality of care, SUNU Health also demonstrated its new operational software and Mobile app, aptly named SUNU Legacy.
Also speaking at the event, the NHIA Lagos State Coordinator (Ikeja), Dr Bethuel-Kasimu Abraham, noted that the forum’s expected outcome is to significantly reduce delays in accessing medical care.
Other key expectations include ensuring continuity of care, improving patient outcomes, and strengthening accountability among HMOs.
Addressing specific pain points faced by enrollees, the NHIA Ogun State Coordinator, Mr Dare Adefeso, acknowledged that the agency had received complaints regarding out-of-stock drugs and the discrimination of enrollees by certain providers.
He affirmed that the NHIA is actively addressing these issues, stressing that moving forward, every facility must ensure enrollees are properly catered to regardless of their status, provided they have an active health insurance plan.
Corroborating the long-standing legacy of SUNU Health, the Ogun State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Aishat Tiamiyu, shared that her agency is responsible for public information dissemination and has been enrolled with SUNU Health for over 25 years.
Commending the HMO’s stellar service over two decades, she called for the immediate enrollment of new NOA staff into the scheme.
The Providers’ Forum remains one of the strategic channels employed by SUNU Health to consistently engage healthcare providers, understand their operational challenges, introduce new software updates, and solidify partnerships aimed at fostering premium healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the recall of a sexual enhancement product known as WAP Sensual Enhancement Capsules.
In a statement on Monday, the Nigerian agency disclosed that the recall is due to “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients” in the product, whose country of origin is unknown, but is marketed and distributed online in the US through eBay.
It was emphasised that the recall is being “voluntarily” made by the manufacturer, Best Supplements Best Prices Company.
The detection of the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients was made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Laboratory analysis by the US FDA revealed that the product contained undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil, and flibanserin, which were not mentioned on the product label. Such substances may include phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors or related compounds commonly used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the statement by NAFDAC stated.
Sildenafil and tadalafil are ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It was noted that these undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.
Flibanserin is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used to treat low sexual desire in women. Flibanserin can cause drowsiness, sedation, dangerously low blood pressure, and fainting, especially when combined with alcohol.
Consumers have been encouraged to report compromised products (medicines or medical devices) to the nearest NAFDAC office, call 0800-162-3322, or send an email to sf******@********ov.ng.
