Encomium
Ahead of the roll out of the Nigerian Entertainment Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS), a powerful delegation has been on a nationwide tour to further sensitize and educate the practitioners of the entertainment and media industry on the workings of the scheme and the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Trust Fund (NEIHTF). Also, to lay a rock solid foundation for the planned uniform health insurance cover for the entire entertainment industry.
Initiated by the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Lecture Series (NEILS) and backed by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the main objective of this initiative is to Institute a private health insurance scheme with customized plans known as; the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS) specifically for the entertainment industry to enroll. This will be administered by three Health Management Organisations (HMOs) under the close supervision of NHIS. Also, to establish the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Trust Fund (NEIHTF) with the sole aim of providing an effective health care delivery system to practitioners within the industry through several projects and initiatives that will help curb the surge in avoidable deaths amongst celebrity entertainers owing to poor health management. This will equally put to an end the traumatic experience entertainers go through to raise funds when down with terminal ailment and other related sicknesses. The Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Trust Fund will compliment the insurance cover.
The Kaduna convention held on Sunday October 26, 2014, at the conference hall of Kenfeli Palm Beach Hotel, Barnawa, Kaduna. The Port-Harcourt event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2014, at The Arena, 30 Tombia Street (Beside Le Meridian), GRA. The Warri convention will also hold on Thursday October 30, 2014, at the Shell Ramp. The last leg of the tour is the Benin-City convention which is scheduled for Sunday, November 2, 2014, at Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre, 1 Airport Road. The convention will kick off by 10am in all the states except Kaduna which will kick off by1pm. Practitioners of entertainment industry and media resident in these states are all invited to the conventions to get first-hand information on how the scheme can work for them.
Speaking about the four states tour, the coordinator of the scheme, Mr. Seun Apara said it is only necessary to take the information to the people the scheme has been designed for.
“What we are currently doing is a major sacrifice and a deliberate attempt to safeguard the future of our dear entertainment industry and restore the dignity. I must tell you that the project has been receiving tremendous support from the entertainment industry all over Nigeria as more stakeholders continue to identify with it as a novel project that is timely and laudable. We can’t keep complaining of lack of structures in our industry while we are obviously not doing anything about it. We can play politics with everything but we can’t with our health. An injury to one is an injury to all. Never in this industry will any entertainer beg for money again”.
Aside the major convention that held at the Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotels & Suites in Lagos on July 22, 2014, to launch the scheme, the organisers have had major meetings and conventions with stakeholders in states like Oyo, Ogun, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
This scheme will also come at an affordable rate owing to the unique nature of the health insurance cover design being planned for the entire entertainment industry. Under this plan, entertainers will have easy and ready access to a network of good doctors across hospitals with standard medical facilities and information. They would also be encouraged to embark on regular checkups whereby potential life threatening ailments may be early and dealt with before degenerating. Adequate arrangements for timely intervention to save the lives of practitioners within the industry in case of eventualities are also prominent on the agenda of the scheme.
