The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) held a follow-up meeting with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to fine-tune the modalities for the kick-off of the health insurance cover for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).

The Ag. Executive Secretary, PTAD, Mr Sulayman Shelleng, stated that the collaboration with the NHIA will be leveraging on the ongoing “I Am Alive” confirmation exercise for all verified and pay-rolled pensioners to enroll pensioners.

The Directorate will commence the pilot program with those DBS pensioners who are verified, on the payroll, and have successfully confirmed their aliveness status. The beneficiaries of the pilot phase will have access to basic health services through selected hospitals closest to the pensioners’ community of abode.

The NHIA team collaborating with PTAD on the rollout out the health palliative is led by the Ag. Director, Pharm N.C. Makwe, ably supported by Dr. K. Eteng. The NHIA team among other things presented the modalities and timelines to actualize the enrolment of PTAD pensioners drawn from across the four operational departments. Plans were further discussed around organising pensioner sensitization in the pilot states of Kaduna and Oyo to make it ease the onboarding process for pensioners.

They also assured the PTAD team that they will work with the HMO to ensure that the Primary Health Care providers in the local communities deliver services empathetically to the DBS pensioners.