TheCable

The Redbridge Healthcare Group has advocated for stable and all-inclusive healthcare benefits for employees in the country.

The group made the call ahead of its maiden employees medical benefits conference scheduled for Abuja on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Henri Onyemachi, chief executive officer of the group, said the essence of the conference is to draw attention to the need for suitable health packages for employees in the country.

He said Nigeria had not given healthcare services the priority attention it deserves and that the situation is worsened with the management of the health of employees “usually left at the mercy of unqualified personnel.”

“There is a very big gap in terms of awareness and capacity to manage the health of employees. There is a lot being said about health safety and environment but this conference is taking it a step further,” Onyemachi said.

“Most employees spend one-third of their life in their workplace and things they do at their workplace have a very big impact on their health.

“So we feel it is important for corporations to be more focused in taking care of the healthcare of people who work for them.”

He added that companies and institutions should know that for them to survive the long term, “they need to have healthy employees whose state of health is always in order”.

“The place where they work should be safe such that it won’t expose them to injuries. They need to work in an environment where they can concentrate; where they will have peace of mind doing their work,” he said.

He added that apart from partnering with international stakeholders, the conference — “which will be a yearly programme” — will also not be restricted to Nigeria.