Fidelity rolls out finance support scheme for medical doctors

FIDELITY Bank Plc has rolled out an interventionist product that is intended to provide a solid financial backbone for effective medical practice in Nigeria and restore confidence into the nation’s healthcare delivery system.

The product, called, Fidelity Medical Support Scheme, is a flexible, consumer finance product designed to help medical practitioners get a stronger grip of their practice by offering easy to access credit facilities that will help them purchase equipment and medical drugs needed to run a functional hospital and a salary advance scheme for staff.

Introducing the product to the members of the Nigerian Guild of Medical Directors in Lagos on Tuesday, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi explained that as a responsible corporate citizen of Nigeria, Fidelity can no longer stand aside and watch the endless decline in the nation’s healthcare sector.

“We want to be part of the overall effort to make quality and effective Medicare easy and accessible to all Nigerians,” he declared while assuring members of the Guild of Medical Directors that Fidelity was not only ready to open a credit line for them but also fully prepared to play a critical advisory role that would help their practices succeed as businesses.

Ihejiahi, who spoke through the Executive Director, Risk Management, Mrs. Onome Olaolu, further explained that while the product was for all medical practitioners, the preference was for those duly licensed by the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria, who own and manage well structured hospitals and who have a wealth of experience in healthcare management.

“Fidelity Bank recognises that although the services medical doctors offer are humanitarian in nature and purpose, the platforms on which these services are offered are first and foremost businesses,” Ihejiahi observed further, pointing out that the services ought to be treated as a business to ensure that they succeed and continue to play the important role they play in the society.

According to him, Fidelity Medical Support Scheme is to enable hospitals procure X-Ray machines, ultrasound machines, ECG machines, Doppler scan machines, intensive care machines, dialysis machines, ambulance and other basic hospital equipment.

The scheme comes with online access to facility, personal financial planning for partner hospitals, payroll solution, access to other consumer products of the bank such as FEALS, FSAS, Mortgage etc, accounting services such as record and book keeping and the issuance of the Fidelity Naira Visa Card.

Source : Guardian