WILL YOUR MEDICAL HEALTH SUPPORT YOUR PENSION?- Odunze Reginald

Their desire of every pensioner is to care of his or herself during old age, but is it  retiree financially stable to shoulder such responsibility , bearing in mind that the period 60 and above comes with various lingering issues including medical health problem.

The medical and health challenge is of varying dimensions, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, heart attack, cancer of the breast, prostate cancer   that and other medical issues comes with old age.

With the developing state and coupled with the inability of the African governments to have a viable medical programme for old people as prevalent in other continents like Europe, North and South America, Asia , Australia etc. Africa countries with the exception of few African countries like South Africa, Egypt etc have not been able to develop a medical programme for old people and senior citizen. Even where it is said to be existing, there are bottlenecks, corruption and other vices militating against it.

So what do they do in such economy where there are little on non existing medical program for old people, what will the old people do in such a situation, will they resort to the little or no  contribution of their pension pot.

In a seminar organized in 2010 in Rock view Hotel in Abuja in conjunction with NHIS, and invitations open to PFAs, the organizers of the seminar were of the opinion of integrating retiree for NHIS, major stakeholders were in attendance including the then Director General of NHIS, the chairman of NUP , National Union of Pensioners. Stakeholders brainstorm on the gains of the programme and the positive it will have on the retirees. But has been the bane of Nigeria Government, the seminars were not put in to use.

So what should the retiree do in such an economy, bearing in mind the lack of government in such a vital issue?   That calls an adequate re examination by the government in such regards and the input of retirees towards achieving good health at their retirement age.  That calls for sacrifices on the part of the contributors to set aside an additional contribution to take care of medical bills, should such crop during old age.

Also the medical history of the intending retirees should of utmost necessity be a guiding principle, especially those that family medical history on such diseases.