INAM teaches journalists about universal health insurance

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Extract from the article: Togo is preparing to move to the universal phase of this mechanism, extending it to all socio-professional strata in the country. On 21 and 22 September 2023, media professionals, one of the key players in the implementation and success of Universal

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Togo is preparing to move to the universal phase of this mechanism, extending it to all socio-professional strata in the country. On 21 and 22 September 2023, media professionals, one of the key players in the implementation and success of Universal Health Insurance (UHI), were equipped and trained in Davié, in the prefecture of Zio, on the fundamentals and principles for implementing viable health insurance. This training workshop is an initiative of the Institut National d'Assurance Maladie (INAM).

In Togo, the law instituting universal health insurance (AMU) was adopted on 18 October 2021, and its management was entrusted to the INAM by decree no. 2022-081/PR of 06 July 2022. That said, the country is well on the way to making universal health cover operational. For this reason, officials from the Institut National d'Assurance Maladie (INAM) have decided that it is important to involve the media more closely in the implementation process.

Under the theme « Fundamentals for the implementation of a viable health insurance scheme », this capacity-building workshop on health insurance brought together some thirty journalists from various media outlets: television, radio, print, online and social media.

The aim of the workshop was to improve the way in which information about universal health insurance is handled, and to strengthen the partnership between INAM and the media, by helping journalists to better understand the fundamentals and guiding principles of universal health insurance and the process of rolling it out in Togo.

The workshop, which was marked by presentations and discussions, enabled participants to acquire basic concepts and principles of universal health insurance, and above all to learn about the role of journalists in the success of universal health insurance, which is currently being rolled out in Togo.

The main topics covered during the course

During the two days of training, a number of topics relating to Universal Health Insurance (UHI) were discussed. These included « Health insurance: concepts, basic principles and typology", "Relevance, institutional set-up and implementation of a universal health insurance programme: overview of current experiences in Africa", "Role and place of media players in the implementation of a universal health insurance programme: the case of Togo ».

Speaking on Universal Health Insurance, Hugues Tchibozo, International Expert on Universal Health Insurance, emphasised that this is a mechanism for covering health risks that is designed to protect the entire population of a country in the long term. « It's a beneficial mechanism. It is a cement of unity and unification. It's a foundation for social protection that should enable all citizens of Togo to be protected against the financial consequences of illness », said Hughes Tchibozo.

For his part, Komigan Adogli, Head of the Study and Strategy Department at INAM, acknowledged the work done by the media, together with their Institution since its creation, which has enabled the solid foundations to be laid for the advent of Universal Health Insurance in Togo. « Today, in our world, we cannot do anything viable without journalists, so the first objective we are aiming for through this workshop is to see how we can collaborate effectively with these players to achieve viable health insurance, and for good collaboration we need to agree on the fundamentals », he asserted.

« Far from confirming our satisfaction, this commits us to doing better and to communicating effectively about health insurance to ensure that beneficiaries and healthcare providers are on board », he said.

According to Komigah Adogli, INAM's General Management is aware of the »heavy mission » that awaits it, together with the media. « The road ahead will be long and full of pitfalls, but we remain convinced that with the involvement of all stakeholders, especially the media, we will be able to rise to the challenge together to ensure the success of universal health insurance in our country », he said.

The workshop also laid the foundations for the creation of a network of journalists working on universal health insurance. After the maritime region, the same training will take place on 25 and 26 September 2023 in Kara, for media professionals from the central, Kara and Savanes regions.

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