With Just N850, You Can Enrol for Health Insurance In Kaduna, DG KADCHMA Tells Barbers, Hairdressers, Others
….Rolls out measures to improve service delivery
The Director General of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA), Mr. Abubakar Hassan, on Friday, urged Kaduna residents, especially those in the informal sector, to key into the insurance scheme to reduce their out-of-pocket medical costs.
These include but are not limited to to barbers, hairdressers, welders, vulcanisers, mechanics, radionic, handset repairers, bricklayers, peasant farmers, and food vendors, among others.
The DG spoke while featuring in a maiden Citizens Level Up virtual meeting on the status of health care financing in Kaduna State and the way forward, championed by the SAP III Open Government Partnership (OGP) Technical Working Group on Improving Service Delivery in the Health and Education sectors in Kaduna State.
According to the DG, only about 150,000 of 80 percent of Kaduna residents in the informal sector (out of about 10 million population projection – 2006 census) have so far enrolled and currently benefitting from the scheme.
He explained that a contributory health scheme remains the most effective way to address basic health care issues across the State.
“80 percent of Kaduna residents spend out-of-pocket on health needs which is putting them deeper into poverty.
We have been liaising and engaging stakeholders like civil society organizations within and outside government to make sure we reduce the impact of assessing the health care service at the nearest approved health facilities to the enrollees.
“Barbers, hairdressers, welders, and other citizens in the informal sector can contribute N850 per month, making it just about N10,000 per annum.
“150,000 enrollees have so far enrolled. Our well-to-do people can also come in as philanthropists to register vulnerable and poor people, and by so doing, we will be reducing poverty among our people.
“So, we need civil society to join us in this campaign by way of breaking down this health insurance scheme to our people at the grassroots for better understanding so they can see the need to key into it”, he said.
The KADCHMA Boss also used the occasion to apologize for the delay in accessing the App, saying it was largely due to the erratic telecom network in the country.
“We have the KADCHMA App in Hausa and English, and it can be downloaded from the App Store. Follow the option whether to register, change hospital (enrollees), or complain.
“We are also working hard to launch -in-bound (free toll line) and out-band mechanisms to address people’s feelings about the scheme by October this year.
“We have also opened centres across the 255 political wards to bring the service closer to the residents of Kaduna State”, he added.
On his part, the Civil Society Co-Chair of Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), Mr. Isah Gidado, reiterated his platform commitment to the success of the scheme.
“KADMAM has been working with KADCHMA since inception, and we will continue to do so. To show that commitment, 15 of our members will be registering under the Health insurance”, he promised.
General Secretary of Ward Development Committee (WDC), Kaduna State, Mr. Garba Danlami Umar, said his committee has been very supportive across all the political wards in the state in terms of awareness creation and continuous education of government policies and programs at the grassroots.
Earlier, the Convener and Co-Chair, of SAP III OGP Technical Working Group on Improving Service Delivery in the Health and Education sectors, Mr. Femi Johnson, said, the meeting became necessary as it allows the citizens to know what the government is doing to better their lot, thereby deepening understanding and improve service delivery in the health and education sectors in Kaduna State.
