KDSG urges LG chairmen to commit funds for health insurance

The Kaduna State Government on Friday appealed to chairmen of the 23 local government councils to commit a fraction of their Consolidated Revenue Fund for the state’s health insurance scheme.

The Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, made the appeal in Abuja during a two-day meeting with the chairmen to find sustainable and innovative funding source to healthcare services in the state.

Balarabe said the measure would go a long way in supporting the poor and vulnerable population in the various local areas to access quality and affordable healthcare in their communities.

She explained that the plea, if considered, would strengthen the state government’s resolve to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through health insurance.

According to her, a healthy population is central to building a strong human capital for sustainable development.

She added that “the state government created the contributory health management scheme in 2018 to facilitate access to quality and affordable healthcare for residents of the state.

“The policy encourages residents to set aside a small amount of their income for health needs, while government commits one per cent of its consolidated revenue to cater for the vulnerable population.

“Since the establishment of the scheme three years ago, available reports indicated some level of improvement in access to healthcare in primary health facilities in the state.”

The deputy governor said that so far, more than 79,000 vulnerable groups, including women and children have been impacted by the scheme.

She pointed out that the strength of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) lies in the formal sector with 98 per cent coverage.

She, however, said that a sizable number of residents are not in the formal sector.

This, according to her, informed the need to find innovative ways to enroll a reasonable number of the informal sector into the scheme.

She called for more effort to ensure residents reaped the benefits of cheaper and stable healthcare services.

She added that the local government chairmen are strategically placed to promote the contributory health management scheme in their respective areas by virtue of their closeness to the people.

She urged the chairmen to engage the people through different community groups and associations and sensitise them on the benefits of enrolling into the scheme.

The Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmad, said healthcare financing in Kaduna State involves a mix of government expenditure, household out-of-pocket expenditure, donor grants and contributions from various entities.

“However, more than 85 per cent of healthcare expenditure is provided by households, and in spite of legislative and policy reforms to address this, achieving UHC has remained a challenge.

“Health insurance coverage has remained low, with insignificant enrollment from the informal sector. This is one of our greatest challenges in health financing in the state,” she said.

Ahmad explained that enlisting the support of the council’s chairmen underscored the state’s unwavering commitment to create a healthier and more prosperous future for residents.

On his part, KADCHMA’s Head of Administration and Finance, Mr Suleiman Mustapha, said that Part III, Section 10 of the law that established the scheme made some provisions for local government councils.

Mustapha explained that the law provided that the local councils provide access to effective, quality and affordable healthcare services, and protect families from financial hardship from huge medical bills.

Other provisions, he said, include collaborating with the KADCHMA to sensitise and enroll citizens in LGAs and ensure the deduction of premiums from employees, among others.

Also, Mr Bala Saidu, the Head of Project Monitoring and Evaluation, KADCHMA, said enrollment into the health insurance scheme would safeguard residents from impoverishment caused by healthcare expenditure.

The meeting was organised by KADCHMA, with support from Save the Children International, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) and Lifiya programme.