KECHEMA Flags off Formal Sector Enrollment Exercise in Kebbi

By: Abdullahi Faruk Birnin Kebbi

The Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency(KECHEMA) has flag off of formal sector enrollment exercise on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi the state capital, to ease cost of healthcare service by the civil servants, vulnerable, private and individuals across the state.

The ceremony was launched and Flag off by State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Babale Yauri, assured the Management, Staff and Stakeholders that the state government would not failed in implementing all the commitments made towards success of the scheme in the state.

According to him, ” I want to commend the Management and staff of this agency for tireless efforts to ensure success of the scheme in the state and its general acceptability to the beneficiaries. The high cost of healthcare service led to the inaccessibility of the service by the low income earners.

Also it was the establishment of the Contributory Healthcare Scheme that help us and made health service equitable to help each other.

” It is also one of the pillar of the our religious, Islam and Christianity that assisting each other is one of the fundamental of faith. The high and top officers should try to subsidies health insurance scheme so that the lower income earners could benefits from it”.

Governor Bagudu also noted that, inauguration of the formal sector into the scheme would bridge up gap between the poor and the rich when citizens could access healthcare services at all levels.

He said “at this juncture, the state government will meet up with its obligations on the quota given to the state government so that the larger number of people will be benefited”.

It could be recalled that the state government are expected to contribute 10 percentage basic salary to be contributed by the employers as well as equity fund comprises of 2% CRF of Kebbi State,2% contracts sum of all contracts in the state with 1% CRF of LGAs,donations from philanthropists IPs,BHCPF among others.

Speaking Earlier, Commissioner for Health,Alhaji Jafar Muhammad, who commended the State government for implemented the scheme in the state, expressed that the efforts of the present administration has started yielding positive results as low income earners are accessing healthcare services easily across the state.

He however, said that with 4,800 per year,enrolment of people into KECHEMA have continued to swelling, while hospitals are collaborating with the referral agency in the state.

While speaking, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of KECHEMA, Dr. Jafar Muhammad Augie disclosed that the agency target over 534,000 people after inauguration of informal and formal sectors with about 89,000 principals.

Dr. Augie said that: ” about 89,000 principals so far. Before,it was 87,000 before the enrolment of principals. Under the state government,we have 21,337 civil servants, from UBE and 21 LGAs.
we have 22,000 above and 23,000 above civil servants. If you add them up, we are having 89,000 civil servants that are principals. When you multiplying the figures by 6, you will see that KECHEMA will be having over 534,000″.

In this remark,the Acting Head of Service, Alhaji Sufiyanu Garba Bena said that” via my office i forwarded the request of NLC for the deductions of 3 percentage from civil servants salaries with a view to key-in to KECHEMA formal sector enrollment of healthcare service to the state Governor for an approval and which after he received the request immediately he granted the said approval without delay.

He added, that the benefit of the scheme to the civil servants are so enormous ranging from quality health services delivery to accessible healthcare across the state, butressing that, the scheme would put an end to high blood pressure common among the civil servants since they would be going for regular medical checkup.

The Representatives of Traditional Rulers, Galadima Gwandu Emirate, Alhaji Ibrahim Bashar commended the State government and KECHEMA for introducing the scheme in the state, stressed that the traditional rulers acknowledged their efforts in changing the Healthcare delivery service among their subjects.

The event was witnessed by the NLC Chairman, Comrade Murtala Usman,USAID representative, Dr. Aisha Senchi, state coordinator NHIA Musa Magaji, heads of security agencies among others.