By Henry Uche, Lagos
A leading Health Insurance company, AXA Mansard Health, has said it would continue to deliver quality healthcare to its customers and the growth of its service providers across the healthcare value chain in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Tope Adeniyi, disclosed as the company was taking stock of its business operation in 2022.
The CEO who acknowledged that the contributions of its organisation were over 4,000 service providers including Hospitals, Eye Care Centres, Dental practices, Pharmacies, etc, stressed that quality healthcare would have been a mirage without a burgeoning healthcare provider sector.
According to him, AXA Mansard would remain committed to the growth of the sector. “Our nation’s healthcare sector has been making steady strides in accessibility, sophistication, and availability. As a nation, we still have some way to go to ensure that affordability, quality and accessibility are improved, we commend the efforts of all stakeholders who have brought us this far.
“For us at AXA Mansard, our provider network is top on that list. We are a Customer First organisation, but we recognize that this value can only translate when the service providers share in this core value. So, our approach has been to work with them to complete that experience for our customers”
Adeniyi revealed that the year under review came with a lot of challenges, but AXA Mansard and its service providers were able to work together to weather the storm. “As with the cost of other things, the cost of healthcare also went up significantly during the year and the increasing awareness of health insurance also impacted some company fundamentals.
“Despite these challenges, we worked together with our providers to ensure that customers are given the best of care.
“We also invested heavily in technology to help reduce the pressure on our providers’ infrastructure and provide quick and easy access to our customers, and overall, ensured that the quality of healthcare services was not compromised. From our telemedicine app that provides access to our customers anywhere and anytime; to the MYAXA App, which provides a one-stop shop to all medical records of our customers; and our increased investment wellness programme such as gym subscriptions, mental health services, and many more.
“This decision came at a huge cost to us because we had to ensure that we don’t pass on the cost of these investments to our customers and that our providers are not also short-changed. But we believe these are what we need to do to continue to grow the healthcare ecosystem in Nigeria”.
He noted that a healthy nation is a prosperous one, saying, “This is at the core of our purpose to act for human progress by protecting what matters. So the fact that health management organizations like ours and service providers need to work together for the prosperity of our nation is not lost on us. We’re indeed grateful that we also have providers who share in this purpose” he added.
Speaking on collaborations with AXA Mansard, Dr Olubisi Oyediran, the Managing Director, Lagoon Hospital, Ikoyi said his organization has enjoyed collaborating with AXA Mansard Health, explaining that AXA Mansard is one HMO that prioritizes Customers’ well-being above all; without neglecting providers. “AXA Mansard is known for prompt authorizations and payment of services. They continued to set the pace for the industry,” he affirmed.
Similarly, the Managing Director, of Ultimate Specialist Hospital, Dr Oluwagbemiga Adewale, said “At Ultimate Specialists Hospital our mission is to ensure patients get quality healthcare all the time. It’s been a delight working with a partner like AXA Mansard who believes in the administration of quality healthcare and puts customers first at all times. That has made our work a lot easier, Dr Adewale”, noted.
On her part, Chief Medical Director of Prime Medical Consultants, Dr Franca Ikimalo also commended AXA Mansard for its constant innovation, noting that despite the challenges that came with the year 2022, AXA Mansard was at the top of very few health insurance organizations who rose to the occasion to ensure that providers were still able to provide quality services to patients.
AXA Mansard Health CEO, Tope Adeniyi further wishes customers, service providers, and other stakeholders well in the new year, advising that everyone take all necessary safety and health precautions.