According to Dr. Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, 110,000 military retirees have signed up for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
On Thursday in Abuja, Matawalle revealed the information at an interactive session with groups of military retirees.
Dr. Olajide Johnson, Director of Health Services, spoke on behalf of Matawalle, who reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to providing both active-duty and retired military members with quality healthcare.
“Advancing the Health Care of Military Veterans” is the meeting’s theme, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Defence Health Maintenance Ltd (DHML), the organisation in responsibility of maintaining health services for military personnel under the NHIS, called the meeting.
The minister claimed that when the insurance programme began to gain traction, the Federal Government first registered roughly 20,000 military retirees.
“As of right now, we have enrolled more than 110,000 retirees, and we’re continually enrolling.
“The most important thing is to take care of our military personnel’s health requirements following active duty. I believe that our veterans are fortunate,” he declared.
Matawale urged the program’s participants to use it effectively for the sake of their health.
“At this time in your lives, it is your right to get care. Your health is currently what costs you the most money.
We are pleased that the story has changed, Matawalle added, adding that the government now provides for you even after you have served the country.
The minister praised DHML for prioritising military retirees’ healthcare requirements in its insurance plan.
The main goal of the gathering, according to Rear Adm. Bayo Afolayan (Rtd), Managing Director of DHML, was to inform the military retirees about the advantages of the NHIS.
According to Olaniyan, military retirees will have access to the health insurance plan without having to pay a penalty from their pensions.
“We are come to inform you of the plan. That your pension is being tampered with is untrue; no one is touching any retirees’ money, and it is free.
He continued, “You will enjoy it for the rest of your life. The package is for you, your wife, and your kids.
The Head of Administration at DHML, Cdr. Tunde Alabi (Retd), also spoke. He remarked that more retired military men had shown up to sign up and that there was a noticeable knowledge of the programme.
He urged them to take advantage of the programme and stated that DHML was committed to ensuring that war veterans get high-quality treatment.(NAN)
