COVID-19: Reps slam NHIS for spending N152m on sanitizer, face masks, others

The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has queried the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), for spending N152,487,900 on the procurement of face/nose masks, hand sanitizers, hand gloves and other protective gears during the lockdown occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The agency was also queried for recording N2.48 million as monthly consumption of diesel for its electricity generators at its head office located at Utako district of Abuja, and office annex in Wuse 2, also in Abuja, in addition to a March, 2020 expenditure of N49.2 million on what it called vital contributors’ program for hosting support of the online websites and functionalities.

This happened on Monday during an interactive session of the Committee, which had summoned NHIS alongside some other federal government’s Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to provide information on remittances of internally generated revenues into government coffers.

Details of the expenditures obtained from a document presented to the Committee showed that on April 17, 2020, the Scheme was supplied with N5000 pieces of disposable face mask rated at N2,423,750.00, while on April 17, 2020, there was also a reported supply of 500 bottles of hand sanitizer (500ml) for N2,423,750.00

On May 20, 2020, the Scheme also took the delivery of 500 packs of N95 face mask and 500 packs of disposable face and nose mask at N37,186,825, while also in the same month, there was a supply of 1000 sets of disposables coverall protective suits and 1000 disposable latex hand gloves at N37,186,825, amongst other expenditures the committee members felt were questionable.

In defence of the controversial figures, however, Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Mohammed Sambo said the agency also provided more items under its social corporate responsibility for some social workers on the frontline. “On the huge expenditure to tunes of millions with respect to the COVID-19 items, we are National Health Insurance Scheme, we are supposed to be a strategic purchasing agency by mandate.

“During COVID-19 (lockdown), there was a plan of the ministry of health on sectoral response to Covid-19 and because we are dealing with healthcare facilities, we all know that at the beginning of COVID-19, most of the healthcare workers abandoned their duty post because they don’t have items for their protection. As part of our corporate social responsibility, we identified first line organizations like police and so on.

“We gave them those items and we also recognised hospitals that have huge enrollment of NHIS enrollees and we supplied them with these items. All the documents are available if the lawmakers need them. So, this expenditure is not restrictive to NHIS. We have been directed to ensure the protection of our people.

Deputy chairman of the committee, Saidu Abdulahi, who stood in for the chairman, James Faleke, in closing remarks said, “we have just started the revenue monitoring session for the year 2021”, and that the objective was to ensure that “we shore up the revenue generation of the country”, pointing out the determination of the panel to block waste and leakages.