Authored and sponsored by Dan E. Austin M.D.(Del. Virginia, South Nigeria,
founding Trustee) and Abdul Lateef Kareem M.D. (Del. Illinois, candidate
Trustees and President of ANAC house of delegate) as principals, and
Stanley Onye (Del. Maryland, candidate Trustee and President house of
delegates) as support sponsor.
We commence this historic tasked from a conscience that is fundamentally
resolute in the cause of the organization and structural development of our
peoples and affiliated persons of Sub-Sahara Africa particularly Nigeria.
It is imperative for our people to have an organized structure and order of
monumental magnitude in order to bring substance and grip on progress as
well as benefits to any group of inhabitants or citizen in any free loving
and law abiding society. In all we see around us, as a people of Nigeria
and our descendants any where in the world, there have not been any such
comprehensive attempt at bringing such basic and needful order at organizing
a structural benefit program, with the intent to pass on from generation to
generation, maintained, defended, modified, adjusted or even improved upon
but never set aside. With this as a base and a corner stone to guaranty the
needs of every person in a society, a commercial based and free market
economy can commence and flourish, with our conscience before God and make clear and sure we have certainly been our brothers keeper.
We commence the call for action on this program with a goal in mind here in
the American Continent, that (SEED), as intended is Transatlantic, to become
a catalyst for a fundamental base for economic and social growth for Nigeria
and its affiliated peoples.
For any substantive organization and structural order to occur among a
people it is necessary for them to take bold fundamental steps at
organization and provision for the well being of the society at large.
These steps often require huge efforts at instituting, and disagreements are often not lacking in such efforts, however if by the grace and intent of the Almighty God, it is granted to a people to stay the course, the gains are indeed a blessing and such programs do become the envy of many other nations. This Bill entitled Social Economic and Enterprise Development ( SEED), is to be introduced to numerous Nigerian organizations, with the support of All Nigerian American Congress for All Nigerian peoples and their affiliates in North America, with the intent that once the grass root of such strong economic and social base is established and moved forward, we would influence the government of our Homeland to adopt its extension in order for us to reap the true benefit of its intent, which is to bring a strong stable and progressive free capitalist economy that has a social base of establishment. We commence this with hope that this article would become the structural base for hope and structural order for all our people.
ARTICLE ONE:
FORMATION OF A DISASTER RELIEF AND REVITALIZATION SERVICE DEVELOPMENT FUND
Section One: Disaster Relief and Revitalization Service Development
National disaster management is not effective or functional. The civilian
sector disaster management capabilities are poor to nonexistent. The
military provides crowd control during disasters but no systemic medical
response. The military currently has no resources available for mass
casualty response.
We shall commence a Disaster Relief and Revitalization Service Development
Fund that shall be managed by a non-profit public and private watched
organization, to be called by the name Disaster Relief and Revitalization
Board. This organization shall gets its funding primarily from levies
imposed from all working class in the society as imposed by the government
and special fundraising programs in time of need and disasters as people are
often more likely to give during recent episodes of disaster.
This board shall be held responsible for all collections received and such
collections shall be made public as well as expenditures. In our context
now, without governmental powers, we recommend that we impose percentage
levies on entrance or gate fees at our Annual conventions, to be set-aside
for the Disaster and Revitalization Relief Fund. We recommend twenty
percent (20%) of the total charges of every annual function.
We also recommend that this Board be permanently established with its
separate Bank account, and minimum of five members including a Chairman, and
work closely with other such Nigerian Relief organizations from other
Nigerian groups. Also, at a later date, form a frame work for a potential
merger with such Boards of all other Nigerian associations across the US and
Canada and eventually to having a division in Nigeria that would become the
Nigerian International Board for Disaster Relief and Revitalization program.
However, we recommend that the American Continent Board run independent due
to different economic scales in issuing out benefits. This group would
also, as finances permit begin to lobby Nigerians and American companies, US
government agencies, other International agencies, countries and continually
raising funds for its causes. We recommend as finances permits staff
employed and volunteers to carry out this duties.
We also recommend that ten percent (5-10%) of the annual dues of all
Nigerian organization be given to this fund and it's Board.
Section Two: Beneficiaries of Disaster Relief and Revitalization Funds.
Persons and business affected by natural disasters, man-made disasters not
of the recipient making as in war, fire, accidents and others to be defined
and approved by the Board for Disaster Relief.
Section Three: Benefits to be paid.
Benefits are to be paid immediately at the time of disaster. The goal of
these funds is for immediate relief, as providing cash, debit cards funds,
vouchers for food, housing and transportation. The board shall access its
abilities, make immediate decisions on total numbers affected and make
available immediately its determined resources.
In our North America context, we recommend mailing of debit cards of amounts
ranging from $50 to $500 immediately to the identified qualified recipients.
ARTICLE TWO:
SOCIAL WELFARE AND UNEMPLOYMENT FUND.
We should commence a Social Security Welfare Fund that would benefit all
citizens and our society with benefit commencing from age 65 years old or if
any person becomes disabled and unable to work or make a meaningful
livelihood before the set age of 65 years old.
We recommend monthly dues of twenty dollars to be collected from every
participating Nigerian of working age, which should only be collected while
such participant is of gainful employment and such amount would be matched
by employers. Employers would be encouraged to participate. Each
individual participant would have their social funds collected in a social
welfare account system and the interest yield would be posted quarterly on
the account statement made available to each individual participants. Fifty
percent (50%) of the interest is posted directly to the individual account,
while the other fifty percent (50%) is placed in a management fund, of which
ten percent (10%) of the fifty percent is used for administrative cost and
the other forty percent (40%) is placed in a rainy day fund to be used for
increase in benefit or meeting any shortfalls.
At no time should administrative cost exceed the ten percent (10%) of the
fifty percent (50%) of the interest or a total of twenty percent (20%) of
the total half portion of interest set aside from each participant€™s
interest.
Benefits shall be paid directly to an individual participant in North
America or in Nigeria and if possible anywhere in the world the recipient
resides.
A Social Security Welfare board shall be formed to consist of private and
public appointed governors and private watch groups, who shall be
responsible for the administering and receiving of funds and the payment of
benefits.
Section Two: Social Security Beneficiaries.
Benefit shall be paid commencing from the 65th birthday, at on hundred
dollars a month or as later adjusted by the Social Security Welfare board,
until all funds contributed and all added interested as well as other rainy
day added benefits are exhausted. If finances allows, benefits may be
extended for participants until death of a participant. Benefits may also
be paid when a participant becomes unemployed exceeding a period of 90 days.
Section Three: Benefits to be paid.
We recommend a uniform monthly payment, until all principal, interest, and
additional rainy day allocations and adjustments are exhausted. When
possible the board will pay benefits until death of participants. We
recommend a monthly payment of $100.
ARTICLE THREE:
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ASSISTANCE FUND
Nigeria has a healthcare system that has been described as defective even by
its managers. A year 2000 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) of
health systems in 191 member countries ranked Nigeria 187th. These and
several evaluations consistently point to inadequate managerial skills Poor
infrastructure and inadequate manpower. Many Nigerians died of preventable
causes as a result of unaffordable or lack of access to basic healthcare.
The lamentable state of healthcare of Nigeria is reflected I the public
health indices. For example maternal mortality of about 15 per 1000-child
birth in Nigeria is considered one of the highest in the world in the U.S. it
is 1per 1000. Death rate is 13.9 per 1000 compare with U.S. 8.3/100 While the
poor masses indulge in self-medication or receive substandard medical care,
rich Nigerians travel to developed countries like U.S.A., England and Canada
for standardized care. Paradoxical emigration of trained healthcare
personnel to countries like U.S.A. aggravates the situation.
The problems of healthcare system in Nigeria can be viewed in the concept
deficit of planning, financing and standardization.
In an effort to address these deficits it is important to engineer a
private/public healthcare initiative to stimulate a competitive market
driven healthcare revolution that will be systematically planned.
We propose the establishment of a stakeholder-supervised healthcare model in
the form of private health insurance organization. The organization will be
called The MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ASSISTANCE BOARD. There will be 9 board
members. Five from the United States of and four from Nigeria. The members
will be drawn from Medical Groups, financial organization, and healthcare
regulatory agency.
A Medical Development and Assistance Board will be formed that will be
responsible for receiving and managing the medical program, primarily in
Nigeria, with the discount card program in North America. The card will have
additional benefit of discounts in service in addition to providing
eligibility for Medical care in Nigeria. A Medical Development and
Assistance Fund to be paid monthly by enrollees, which will provide medical
services for participants primarily for reception of health care services in
Nigeria, with a health care discount card useful for use in the US and North
America. The primary intent of this fund is to develop a structural managed
health care system for Nigeria. Participants would make a monthly payment
of twenty dollars ($20) per person, thirty dollars ($30) for two persons,
thirty-five dollars ($35) for three persons and an additional five dollars
($5) for every additional person. All payment collected would be matched by
employers for participant towards the plan benefit. A monthly health care
account is established, with a minimal monthly maintenance fee ranging from
$4 for one person to $12 for larger groups, with an account free Hospital
coverage (Insurance based Catastrophic Care) in a Nigerian facility to be
arranged by the Medical Development and Assistance Fund.
Section Two: Beneficiaries and Eligibility
Participants will have option of choosing from different level of health
care plan as offered by the board.
All persons registered in the plan will be eligible for benefits, as defined
in the benefit prospectus. Participant (one or two main participants) may
add or delete sponsored beneficiary and make adjustment to plan membership
according to the rules of the plan
In order to provide quality health care and ensure solvency of the fund.
There will be a 90-day waiting period for commencement of service after an
initial enrollment. This is to allow for administrative processing and
eligibility determination.
Enrollee will choose from a list of accredited managed care service provider
and pay a co-pay of $5.00 dollars for each encounter. A medication benefit
program through a Pharmacy benefit Manager will need to be established to
allow for prescription coverage. Suggested charges for formulary drugs are
$2.00 per prescription.
Section Three: Benefits to be paid
Benefits will be paid mainly to participating Managed Care Organizations,
Physician Groups, hospitals, Nigerian Health Facilities and other facilities
owned or managed by the Medical Development and Assistance Board. United
States facilities for the discount card program may also be paid.
Participants may receive payment reimbursement if payment was made directly
for services by participant and pre-approved. Though, this is not
recommended as patients plan accounts is designed exclusively for managed
care facilities operated by Medical Development and Assistance Board or its
participating providers.
