FCTA Warns HMOs Against Delayed Payments to Healthcare Providers
FCTA Warns HMOs Against Delayed Payments to Healthcare ProvidersBy kalu blessing
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) operating under the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) to desist from delaying payments to healthcare providers, or risk sanctions. This was made known in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
The FCTA noted that while the FHIS is designed to ensure access to affordable and quality healthcare for all residents of the FCT, persistent delays in remitting payments to service providers by some HMOs have begun to undermine the programme’s goals.
The statement revealed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had approved and disbursed N4 billion as outstanding payments for capitation and service fees covering the years 2022 to 2024. Despite this intervention, complaints continue to surface from healthcare providers, who claim that some HMOs have failed to remit funds due to them, citing excuses such as unavailable hospital bank details an explanation the FCTA says it will no longer accept. “To improve the quality of healthcare services for FHIS enrollees, the FCT Minister approved N4 billion in backlog payments between last year and this year. However, the FCTA has received complaints from healthcare providers regarding the failure of some HMOs to remit payments as required. The excuse of missing bank details is unacceptable,” the statement read.
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The FCTA added that compliance by HMOs would henceforth be closely monitored, with any default attracting appropriate disciplinary measures. The same scrutiny, it said, would apply to healthcare providers in terms of their commitment to service delivery under the scheme. The statement also highlighted recent achievements in the FHIS, including the clearing of all backlog payments, improved payment schedules, increased capitation rates for healthcare providers, and the accreditation of 100 Primary Health Care centres across the FCT.
Additionally, it reaffirmed that pregnant women enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund at PHCs in all six Area Councils would continue to receive free services. These include health education, antenatal care, routine medication, laboratory tests, delivery, and referrals for advanced care such as caesarean sections and treatment for complications like eclampsia all at no cost in the 14 General Hospitals across the territory.
