Salt & Einstein, MTN Partner on Mobile Health Insurance Scheme

Salt & Einstein MTS, Mobile insurance services aggregator, MTN Nigeria and Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), have announced a strategic partnership to launch a mobile-based universal health insurance service known as Y’ello Health.

This service, according to the trio will provide Nigerians affordable health insurance cover on a pre-paid basis, adding that through the Y’ello Health, mobile subscribers are able to opt into a micro healthcare insurance scheme through Health Management Organizations (HMO’s) using their mobile phones for a range of pre-defined medical treatments for which affordable premium can also be remitted through the subscribers’ mobile phone.

Dr. Femi Thomas, executive secretary and CEO of NHIS, speaking on the rationale behind the new partnership said, “MTN is a large player in the Nigerian economy, having a good number of registered Nigerians on its database. To be able to reach out to Nigerians, we at NHIS decided to partner with Salt & Einstein MTS and MTN on this new initiative to achieve “Universal Health Coverage” for Nigerians nationwide.

According to him, the time has come to extend health insurance to Nigerians from all walks of life.

Thomas said with Nigeria’s population in mind, NHIS in partnership with Salt & Einstein MTS and MTN is bent on providing more efficient health care service to those who indeed cannot afford good healthcare services, stressing that this this will help pull risk and share healthcare costs equitably across the population.

Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive chairman of Salt and Einstein MTS, bringing his vast experience in mobile technology and telecommunications in Nigeria to the table, identified the need to leverage the market penetration and unmatched reach of mobile telecoms in Nigeria. Statics reveal that mobile telecoms subscription in Nigeria is over 120 million.

This, Ndukwe noted creates adequate grounds for direct health insurance provision to Nigerians who without this would have no access to the National health Insurance scheme.

According to Lai Labode, managing director and chief executive officer of Salt and Einstein MTS, findings, show that, Nigeria still has less than four per cent of its population covered with basic health care at this time in our nation’s history.

 “There is no disputing the fact that, one of the best things to do at this time is to come together, working with NHIS and of course, starting off with Nigeria’s leading telecommunications operator, MTN, to bring this health insurance cover to Nigerians who have been hitherto excluded from access to good health care service”.

“MTN has demonstrated that they are interested in the social good and welfare of Nigerians. We hope to create more products that benefit Nigerians across the country”. He enthused.

According to Omatsola Barrow, Sales & Distributions executive, MTN,  “MTN’s motivation to partner on the health insurance initiative with the Salt & Einstein MTSand NHIS, is driven by the firm’s passion to reduce exclusion and social disparities by supporting government’s vision of delivering health care for all as well as to make health care mobile by integrating it into the MTN broader digital strategy”

According to Larry Annetts,  chief marketing officer, MTN Nigeria, “the focus market for the Y’ello Health Cover are Nigerians who have no health insurance cover principally because they cannot afford the regular health insurance services in the market. These individuals like everyone else, need medical care.

“However, without access to insurance, they probably would be having occasional challenges paying for medical treatment, because such expenses would usually be without or at short notice. It is to take away this burden of impromptu medical expenses that we are partnering to introduce this product”.

He also asserted the importance of education and sensitization of the populace about healthcare and commended the NHIS for its drive to provide universal healthcare for Nigerians”, he stated.

Annets said the MTN Yello Health Insurance will enable customers visit the hospital twice monthly or up to seven times yearly to a maximum treatment cover of N80, 000.00 yearly.

According to him, this also gives access to over 6000 hospitals across the country currently registered on the NHIS scheme.