The Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) draft proclamation has been tabled to parliament in order to make the ten years old pilot operation formal.
The proclamation that was expected to be tabled to parliament years back had received delay for several periods due to the prioritization of massive engagement with the society for awareness creation.
On the session held on Tuesday November 3, the draft proclamation that was reviewed and approved by the House of Federation, which is responsible in assessing the proclamation mismatch with constitution and the right of regions or not, has tabled it for further evaluation by the standing committee and awaits ratification as a proclamation.
On its evaluation attached with the draft proclamation, the House of Federation stated that it follows the right of regions and that it collaborates with the constitution.
The House of Federation also added that the proclamation may allow correlating with the health sector technology system and improving technological based service.
“The law shall also enable the attainment of universal health coverage and allow achievements on the creation of one economic community,” it explained.
According to the health account study conducted in 2017, the country per capita health service expense is about USD 32 whereas the average for Sub Saharan countries is at USD 86.
The explanation that justified the proclamation argued that the insurance payment that is given for health facilities shall improve their quality of service and infrastructure.
It added that from the total expense for health service patents share is 31 percent, which is described as very huge amount that mainly affects low income parts of the society thus making poor households poorer.
CBHI was first piloted to part of the communities, which are involved in the informal economy sector, in 13 weredas of the Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern regions in 2011 that is now implemented in 771 weredas of all regions and two city administrations that are under federal government.
To come up with the proclamation different countries experience have been evaluated.
The CBHI scheme will allow the mobilization of finance to cover health expenses of the society and insure the community from unnecessary expense.