An Open Letter to The Executive Secretary National Health Insurance Scheme -By Professor Okike Benjamin

Dear Sir,

I write to bring to your notice some of the fraudulent activities by one of your accredited Healthcare Insurance Company, Maayoit. It has been observed that whenever a subscriber requests for healthcare delivery service, Maayoit Healthcare Limited would respond by saying service is not covered. In cases where they want to respond, it takes Maayoit 3 days (72hours) to do that even in an emergency situation. This is to discourage subscribers from wanting to access their healthcare delivery facilities.

On Friday (22/03/2019), I was booked to undergo a minor surgery in University of Abuja Teaching Hospital where I registered against Monday(25/03/2019). When NHIS Desk Officer in the Teaching Hospital requested for an authorization code, Maayoit send a message back to the officer that such facility is not covered by them. So, if minor surgery is not covered by Maayoit Healthcare Limited, I wonder what are covered by them. When I contacted Maayoit through this phone number (08099670818), the person that answered said that their Doctor has assessed the request and disapproved it and that the Doctors approval and disapproval is final.

To me, Maayoit represents a group of professional fraudsters who have come together to register a Health Insurance company with the sole aim of defrauding unsuspecting members of Nigerian workers. This is evidenced in their website, www.maayoithealth.org. In this website, you will see Board of Directors, Management Team as a links etc. However, if you click any of those links, it does not take one to any page, suggesting that one cannot have access to any member of the Board of Directors or even Management Team. This is a clear indication that Maayoit is a fraud because I do not see the rationale behind hiding the Board of Directors identities or that of any of the Management Team. Initially, I instructed my lawyers to file a suit against Maayoit. But again, I realized that this fraud healthcare organization may have colluded with some top management staff of possibly NHIS or any other institution, I decided that further investigation should be carried out, hence the need to copy the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police, and the Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission for appropriate investigation to be carried out to reveal those behind Maayoit Healthcare fraud.

In the first instance, I was not given an option to choice my HMO when I registered under NHIS. It is possible NHIS requested that subscribers should not be allowed to select any HMO of their choice, so that the NHIS Desk Officer would register any subscriber under Maayoit fraud company.

In the light of these, I am offering the following prayer points:

NHIS should de-register Maayoit Healthcare Limited with immediate effect.

That the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Police Force and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission ICPC should carry out investigation to ascertain those behind this fraud and sanction them accordingly.

NHIS should transfer me to HYGEIA HMO Limited. My NHIS ID. NO. is 02072827.

I hereby attached a scanned copy of NHIS referral form for your perusal where NHIS Desk Officer in University of Abuja Teaching Hospital gave a feedback from Maayoit Healthcare Limited that service is not covered by HMO.

Thanks as I expect prompt action from your office.

Yours faithfully,

Professor Okike Benjamin
Department of Computer Science
University of Abuja

cc: The Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
5 Fomella Street,
Off Adetokumbo Ademola Cresecent,
Wuse II
Abuja

The Inspector General of Police,
Louise Edet House,
Central Area,
Abuja

The Chairman,

Independent Corrupt Practices Commission,
Plot 802, Constitution Avenue
Zone A9, Central Area,
Garki- Abuja