The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria, an umbrella body for health insurance managers in the country, says it will go to court to contest the reinstatement of Prof. Usman Yusuf as Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking in Lagos on Friday during a press briefing, Chairman of the association, Dr. Babatunde Ladele, noted that the decision to reabsorb Yusuf into the system by the Buhari-led administration, would not only cause more crisis in the health sector but also raise questions about the sincerity of the administration’s anti-corruption war.

“As an organisation responsible to Nigerians, we will not just sit and watch, we will contest Yusuf’s reinstatement in court, even though there had been a court case over libellous statements he made against us in the past. We had to stay action on that matter after he was suspended by the Minister of Health, but now that he is back in office, we will proceed with the libel case and also institute a fresh suit to contest his appointment,” Ladele said.

According to the Chairman of HMCAN, otherwise known as Health Maintenance Organisations, Yusuf was unfit for the position, as under his leadership, no single Nigerian was added to the NHIS despite huge sums of money earmarked for that purpose.

The organisation said that even if the government was so desperate to bring back Yusuf into the system, it should have waited until investigations into allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against him were concluded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Ladele said, “As one of the major stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector, the Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria hereby condemns in totality the reinstatement of Dr. Usman Yusuf as Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme. This move, as far as we are concerned, does not speak well of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration because this man is under investigation for corrupt practices.

“Bringing him back to the office is like giving somebody a car key without finding out if he or she could drive. While noting the gravity of the allegations against him, HMCAN is mindful of the dictum that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“We advise that in the spirit of transparency, accountability and the stance of government on corruption, the report of the investigation should not be swept under the carpet. Doing this will erode public confidence and cast a doubt on the sincerity of this administration.”

When contacted, the Deputy Director of Media at the Ministry of Health, Mr. Olajide Oshundun, said the minister was not available for comments.

The NHIS boss refused to comment when our correspondent contacted him on Friday.

Before Yusuf’s reinstatement last Tuesday, he was being probed by the EFCC over allegations of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m. A committee set up by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had submitted a probe report to President Buhari last September accusing Yusuf of abuse of office.

According to the panel, the N919m was dubiously given as payment to consultants for staff training.

The committee said that as the head of the agency, Yusuf was personally responsible for all administrative, procurement and financial lapses. The committee, therefore, recommended that the EFCC probe the agency for diversion of funds and contravention of the Procurement Act of 2007.

The report stated that Yusuf contravened the Procurement Act of 2007 through nepotism and other irregular awards of contracts and should be sanctioned in line with the provision of the Act.

When The PUNCH reached out to him to respond to the allegations levelled against him last December, he had said, “F*ck you, and f*ck the minister.”

When The PUNCH reached out to him to respond to the allegations levelled against him last December, he had said, “F*ck you, and f*ck the minister.”

porka:
By the time Nigerians realize what is happening, all functional institutions will have been destroyed.

DUTCHDON:

Did they ever function?