The Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) says it has enrolled 521,096 persons in the health insurance scheme.

Abubakar Saidu, KADCHMA’s Formal Sector Team Lead, made this known at a two-day Biannual Review Meeting of Media Working Group, organised by Save the Children International, in Zaria on Friday.

Mr Saidu said 383,513 persons had been enrolled under the formal sector; 4,523 under the informal sector, while 79,239 vulnerable population accessed free healthcare services under the scheme.

He added that 8,292 were captured under the Tertiary Students Health Insurance Programme and 45,529 under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Accorcing to him, all the enrollees are accessing Basic Minimum Package of Health Services as defined by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Mr Saidu explained that the state’s contributory health insurance scheme was designed to provide access to quality, affordable and equitable healthcare services to all residents of the state without financial barriers.

According to him, the goal is to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) towards improving the poor health indices in the state.

“KADCHMA began provision of healthcare services to the enrollees since June 2020, to reduce out of pocket spending on healthcare to the barest minimum.

“This in the long run, will reduce poverty arising from catastrophic and impoverishing health spending.

He said that enrollees under the formal public sector made three per cent premium contribution deducted from their salaries,” he said. 

Mr Saidu said that for the informal and organised private sector, the premium contribution for individuals was N10,650 while a household with maximum of six members paid N57,990 per annum.

He also said for the 45,529 enrollees under the BHCPF, every state provides 25 per cent counterpart fund of the total requirements for coverage of the defined population based on enrolled beneficiaries in the state.

“The NHIS will then provide the complementary 75 per cent from the BHCPF to the state based on the defined benefit package.

“Also, about 80 per cent of the 79,239 vulnerable population and 45,529 enrolled under the BHCPF, were selected from the Social Register of the poor and vulnerable households in the state.

“While the state government expends N10,650 on each of the 79,239 poor population, amounting to N843.89 million annually.

“And N575.9 million was expended on 45,529 poor and vulnerable persons under the BHCPF at N12,650 per person,” he said.

Earlier, Joseph Jockshan, BHCPF Focal Person, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Board, said the BHCPF was established under Section 11 of the National Health Act, 2014.

He said that N152.9 million was disbursed to 254 Primary Healthcare centres across the state under the healthcare provision fund in the first and second quarter of 2021, adding that each of the benefiting facilities received N601,500.

(NAN)