‘Encourage students to enroll in NHIF scheme’

MWANZA: MWANZA Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr Said Mtanda has directed heads of higher learning and middle-level institutions in the region to ensure that all newly admitted students are educated about and enrolled in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) medical scheme.

RC Mtanda issued the directive yesterday while opening a working session organised by NHIF for heads of 42 institutions in Mwanza.

The meeting aimed to review the progress of student registration into the Fund and to strengthen access to healthcare services within learning institutions.

“Let’s ensure every student joins this scheme, because only through collective contribution can we deliver quality healthcare services. If we have few members, the Fund will struggle to operate efficiently and if the few registered students fall sick at once, it creates dependency,” said Mr Mtanda.

He said that the implementation of the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) Policy is a shared responsibility, calling on every institution to play its part to guarantee reliable healthcare for students and the community at large.

The RC further instructed NHIF to improve its registration systems and work closely with government agencies particularly the National Identification Authority (NIDA), to address challenges causing delays in student registration.

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Similarly, he directed the institutions to comply with the requirements of the Universal Health Insurance Act by ensuring that all eligible students are registered and that quarterly progress reports are submitted to both NHIF and the Regional Commissioner’s Office for monitoring purposes.

For his part, NHIF Mwanza Regional Manager, Mr Jarlath Nshashu said the purpose of the meeting was to plan how to strengthen and streamline the registration of new students under the Student Health Package, which was introduced in 2009 to benefit learners at an annual cost of 50,400/-.

Mr Nshashu added that NHIF will continue working closely with education institutions to ensure all students in the region access quality and affordable healthcare services through the Fund.