The Federal Capital Territory Administration has challenged hospitals and primary healthcare facilities across the territory to stop the uneven treatment of patients under the health insurance scheme, insisting that oatients under the health insurance scheme must receive the same level of attention as those paying out of pocket.
Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, made the call at a Workers’ Day free medical outreach, where she said complaints about slow attention for insured patients had persisted despite ongoing reforms in the sector.
While stressing that the FCT administration was tightening engagement with service providers to ensure compliance with standards tied to the insurance scheme, Fasawe added that the objective is to ensure that enrolment in the scheme translates into real access to care, not just monthly deductions from salaries without corresponding service delivery at health facilities.
In her words, “We are aware of the perception that those who pay out-of-pocket receive faster attention, but that is changing. In fact, it has changed.
“We are also engaging our hospitals and primary healthcare centres to ensure that those enrolled under the health insurance scheme receive prompt and quality care,” she said.
She further emphasised that the scheme covers a wide range of medical needs, including specialist care and surgical interventions where required, urging workers to take full advantage of the system rather than avoid it due to past perceptions of inefficiency.
“As long as you are a civil servant, you are entitled to quality healthcare, including access to surgical services where necessary,” she said.
On her part, the Head of Service of the FCTA, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, noted the turnout and findings from the exercise reflects the gaps in awareness and utilisation of the health insurance scheme among staff.
She said it was troubling that many workers were still unaware that they were already enrolled in the scheme, even though deductions were being made from their salaries monthly.
“We have a lot to do in regards to sensitisation of our staff. I am surprised to know that some of us don’t know that we are already enrolled on the health insurance scheme, and that gives us the right to go to our service providers to access the services that we have already paid for.”
She also pointed to poor usage of available facilities, noting that even the staff clinic, set up to serve workers, remains underutilised despite being open and accessible.
The outreach is part of activities organised to mark the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration. The medical outreach drew hundreds of civil servants, many of whom underwent screening for hypertension, diabetes and other conditions. Officials said more than 400 workers were attended to on the first day alone, while 270 received eyeglasses after vision tests revealed widespread sight challenges among participants.