The vision of CBHI is to provide intervention strategies, and support to the administration of preventive health care services in Nigeria’s underprivileged and rural communities, allowing vulnerable and poor individuals and families to achieve access to healthcare services. To attain this, CBHI is taking leadership and resource mobilization role in addressing the social and economic determinants to health care as they impact individuals, families and communities. Ill health, in turn, is a major cause of poverty. This is partly due to the costs of seeking health care, which include not only out-of-pocket spending on care (such as consultations, tests and medicine), but also transportation costs and any informal payments to providers. It is also due to the considerable loss of income associated with illness in developing countries, both breadwinners, but also of family members who may be obliged to stop working or attending school to take care of an ill relative. In addition, poor families coping with illness might be forced to sell assets to cover medical expenses, borrow at high interest rates or become indebted to the community. Strong health systems improve the health status of the whole population, but especially of the poor among whom ill health and poor access to health care tends to be concentrated, as well as protect households from the potentially catastrophic effects of out-of-pocket health care costs. In general, poor health is disproportionately concentrated among the poor. Under the Medical Financial Assistance Program, CBHI offers health equity and financial protection to vulnerable families in poor and rural communities in Nigeria through a strategy known and identified as “preventing poverty due to illness (by improving financial protection).” Generally, this involves implementing various lawful mechanisms that help sick families or individuals overcome geographic, social and psychological barriers to accessing care and reducing out-of-pocket cost of treatment. Examples include:

• Scouting for humanitarian intervention or raising awareness and special funds to support the medical care of the patient in critical care or with unique medical conditions.
• Reducing the direct cost of care at the point of service, e.g. through reducing/abolishing user fees for the poor or arranging provisional and temporary health insurance to the poor (including coverage, depth and breadth).
• Expanding access to care by using the private sector or public-private partnerships.

More importantly, the Medical Financial Assistance Program is a resource to help critically ill and poverty-stricken patients pay their healthcare cost or receive free medical services CapacityBay Health Initiative’s medical financial assistance is offered to patients with limited or no resources or inadequate medical insurance coverage. Eligibility is determined by family income. The program also provides financial assistance to low-income uninsured and underinsured patients who are Nigerians and live in Nigeria and with incomes up to 300% of the international poverty level. Patients must fill out an application to apply and must meet the eligibility requirements set forth to qualify.

To apply for financial assistance, you must complete a Financial Assistance Application online. To request a free application be mailed to you, call 301-970-9800 (USA) or medicalfinancialassistancenigeria@capacityhealth.org.