• including 46000 vulnerable people By Ibrahim Wuyo, Kaduna

A total of 400, 000 Kaduna citizens from across the 23 Local Government Areas have been enrolled into the Kaduna Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) scheme.

This was disclosed during a meeting titled: “Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (Perl) and Lafiya Programme Interaction with Kaduna State Accountability Mechanism (KADMAN) and KADCHMA on Strategies for Contributory Health Care Enrollment”, held in Kaduna.

The scheme was passed into law in 2018 by the Kaduna State government to provide health care services to the residents at very subsidised rates and qualitative manner.

Dr Juliana Dauda B, Head Operations Department, KADCHMA said in an interview that about 46,000 vulnerable people have also been enrolled into the scheme from across the 23 LGAs.

She said that the passing into law of the scheme in 2018 led to the establishment of KADCHMA, with the mandate of delivering and operating the contributory health scheme itself.

According to her, ” right from the inception, since it was established, we’ve followed through on our key mandate and have been able to enrol a total of over 400,000 currently released to the scheme from the formal sectors, informal and vulnerable components of the population of Kaduna state.”

“I can tell you that the state has over 250 healthcare providers, both primary and secondary and public and private providing services for this scheme across the 23 LGAs.”

“Currently every Ward in each LGA of the state has at least one facility providing services for the enrollee which met service provision of equitable access for service provisions for citizens.”
“Because one of the hindrances to qualify access to services is the availability of those facilities to the proximity, close to where people are residing. So we’ve been able to identify this facility and have been able to accredit them and certify them with the necessary tools to provide the service”, she said.

Dr. Juliana called on residents of the state to avail themselves of the scheme for the huge benefits they stand to achieve.

“We’re calling on everybody, not only civil servants. It’s meant for residents of Kaduna state, civil servants from formal and informal sectors, private, traders, artisans, others, because they’re entitled to the scheme which provides robust services in a very subsidised way in a very qualitative manner, and sustained as well.

“The law state that it’s mandatory for everybody who is resident n Kaduna state to key into the scheme. We’re still working on the enforcement strategy to key into it. We’re working with relevant agencies and organisations to enforce the law in the near future. Every Kaduna civil servant has been registered. “

“People are excited about the scheme but some have reservations about the scheme in terms of newness, people are sceptical in joining the scheme on sustainability, the premium goes by the economic status of most people. “

“Because the premium for an individual is N10, 650 per annum, and for the family plan, a family of 6 is N57,950 per annum. So one of the challenges or the constraint to the take-up of these two by the informal sector is the premium itself.”

“However we’re looking at how to create a flexible package that fits, to some extent, what individuals and families can afford so long as services will be reached for people coming into it .”

“Government, right from the inception committed itself to funding health care services for the vulnerable in the state. it committed one per cent of all its consolidated revenue funds into paying for service under the scheme for the vulnerable in the State. “

“So currently we have been able to enrol about 46000 vulnerable into the scheme across the 23 LGAs. We’ve identified them using key criteria. We’ve people that are above 65yesrs, people with disability, pregnant women that fall within the economic circle and can’t afford maternal health care, and children under five years.”

“These are basically the categories of vulnerable government can take care of. And the government has been so committed to funding and has been releasing the funds consistently right from 2020 when the scheme started. The criteria used is well spelt out.”

“All the facilities providing the services under the scheme are effective and have been accredited, inspected, accessed and certified”, she said.
Earlier, the issues bothering on the state of the facilities, the designated health providers, awareness on strategies to improve the informal sector, were thoroughly discussed and decisions arrived on how to embark on advocacies.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/07/kaduna-enrols-400000-into-contributory-health-mgt-scheme-kadchma/