Over 22.5 million citizens covered in Community Based Health Insurance

The Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is a system that benefits part of the community who are engaged in the informal sector of the economy in urban and rural areas. This type of health insurance was piloted in 13 woredas within the Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNP regional states in 2010 and based on the experiences gained in those regions the provision of the CBHI was expanded as of 2013.

Director General of Ethiopian Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Mizan Kiros, told the media that in 2018/19 the provision of public health insurance was launched in 5 regional states, one city administration, and 657 woredas, of which 509 woredas have finalized preparation and started providing healthcare services to members and their families. Over 22.5 million people who live in these woredas have become beneficiaries of the health insurance system.

The Director General said that the government has paid for about 5 million people who are of low income families and cannot afford to pay for the health insurance.

In the 2018/19 fiscal year over 1.2 billion birr was collected from the contribution of members of the community based health insurance (CBHI) system. Over 617 million birr has been paid for the healthcare services for clients and their families, Director General of the Agency, Dr. Mizan Kiros said.

In 2019/20, membership registration and renewal of membership for the community-based health insurance system have been scheduled to take place beginning in December. Registration of new members and membership renewal for existing members in being carried out in every regional state.

Dr. Mizan has called upon members and prospective members to register or renew existing membership by paying the annual membership fee before the registration deadline in all the regions where it is applicable. The director general has encouraged members to renew their membership so that they as well as their families can benefit from it.

The director general has also called upon regional states, stakeholders in the health sector, zones, and woredas, which have played a great role in the implementation of the community based health insurance (CBHI), to strengthen the campaign they have started for introducing the CBHI to their constituents.

Dr. Mizan has invited the media to play their share of the constructive role in introducing the importance of the community based health insurance (CBHI) system to their respective audience as the service is new to our country.     

The Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is a system that benefits part of the community who are engaged in the informal sector of the economy in urban and rural areas by involving them in supporting one another and minimizing the pressure of the cost of healthcare services when covered on individual basis. It is a system designed to keep the community from sliding into abject poverty.