Section 49: Interpretation.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -
"Arbitration Board" means the State Health Insurance Arbitration Board or the Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Arbitration Board constituted under section 26 of this Act;
"benefit" means a benefit or advantage of any kind whatsoever derived from the Scheme;
"capitation payment" means a payment to a health care provider in respect of services to be provided by him to an insured person registered by the health care provider, whether the insured person uses the services or not;
"contribution" means a contribution payable to an organisation under this Act and includes a voluntary contribution;
"Council" means the Governing Council established under section 2 of this Act for the Scheme;
"employee" means any person who is ordinarily resident in Nigeria and is employed in the service of the Federal, State or Local Government in a civil capacity or in any of the public services or under a contract of service or an apprenticeship with an employer whether the contract is express or implied, oral or in writing;
"employer" means an employer registered under the Scheme and includes the Federal, State or Local Government or any Extra-Ministerial Department or a person with whom an employee has entered into a contract of service or apprenticeship and who is responsible for the payment of the wages or salaries of the employee including the lawful representative, successor or assignee of that person;
"fees for service" means payment made directly for completed health care services, not included in the capitation fees, and paid to health care providers or professionals following appropriate referrals or prescriptions sent to them by health care providers under the Scheme;
"functions" includes powers;
"health care provider" means any government or private health care practitioner, hospital or maternity centre registered by the Council for the provision of prescribed health services for insured persons and their dependants under the Scheme;
"insured person" means any person who pays the required contribution to the Scheme under this Act;
"member of the Council" includes the Chairman of the Council;
"Minister means the Minister charged with responsibility for matters relating to health and "Ministry" shall be construed accordingly;
"organisation" means any health maintenance organisation registered under section 19 of this Act and includes institution, body corporate or a provident association registered by the Council to utilise its administration to provide health care services through health care centres approved by the Council;
"public service of the Federation" and "public service of State" have the meaning respectively assigned to them in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999;
[Cap. C23.]
"Scheme" means the National Health Insurance Scheme established under section 1 of this Act;
"wage" means remuneration in money paid to an employee under his contract of service or apprenticeship, as the case may be; and whether agreed to be paid at fixed or determined intervals of time -
(a) in respect of normal period of work performed by the employee; or
(b) where payment is calculated in relation to-
(i) set tasks, in respect of the number of tasks completed by the employee, or
(ii) the volume of work completed by the employee, in respect of the volume completed by the worker, but does not include any allowance paid by the employer to the employee whether in respect of cost of living or otherwise howsoever.
"Zonal Office" means a Zonal Health Insurance Office established under section 21 of this Act.