Muhammad Garba
Jigawa state government has flagged off the implementation of Contributory Health Insurance Scheme today with over 240,000 beneficiaries from the formal sector.
Speaking at the occasion held at Dutse General Hospital, the state Governor Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar said, the scheme is aimed at ensuring every person get access to basic healthcare services in respect of his economic status or geographical location.
Badaru said the high cost of healthcare services has been a challenge to families, low-income individuals and other vulnerable segments of the society, maintaining that, the Health Insurance Scheme would help in providing everlasting solution to the challenges.
“The contributory healthcare scheme is a further effort in ensuring an overall objective of healthy and productive population through access to comprehensive, appropriate, affordable, efficient, equitable and quality essential health care services,” he added.
Governor Badaru noted that, financing healthcare delivery requires efficient and prudent management of resources and the Scheme has provided it through involving various get keepers, and accountability mechanism from the public, community, government and private sector.
He however revealed that his government has recognized healthcare services as a critical aspect of human capital development, that make it to increased the monthly funding of free services for children below 5 years and pregnant women from N15 million to N75million and consistently allocate an average of 15% of the state budget to the sector since 2016.
In his speech, the Executive Secretary of the Scheme, Dr. Nura Ibrahim Kazaure said over 40,000 civil servants of the state have been registered under the scheme while about 200,000 of their dependants would also benefit from the exercise.
Dr. Nura said the beneficiaries would access services through 191 healthcare providers that includes both private and public owned across the state.
He explained that all registered beneficiaries can immediately begin to access the services with their family members in their chosen healthcare facility.
Dr Nura added that, the enrolment will continue in segments until all civil servants and non civil servants and targeted beneficiaries are covered, with more health facilities incorporated among accredited service providers.
