N5bn Palliative: Enroll 5.5 Million Vulnerable Into Health Insurance Scheme, USAID Tells Bauchi Govt

By Akeem Oduyoye

USAID has advice Bauchi State government to use a fraction of the N5 billion palliation from the Federal Government to enroll  5.5 million vulnerable populations into the state healthcare Insurance Scheme.

This is in consideration of the importance of the scheme in achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which is aimed at ensuring effective and efficient healthcare service delivery by reducing out-of-pocket expenses on medication.

The advice was given by The Health Financing Advisor of USAID funded Integrated Health Program (IHP), Pharm Khalid Kasimu gave the advice at a day Media quarterly meeting on budget performance organised by Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative (J4PD) in collaboration with IHP, held at the Hazibal event centre in Bauchi.

According to Kasimu, the issue of healthcare for the vulnerable population was very important as one of the factors that contributes to poverty is when people still spend from their pockets to access healthcare.

He also said that giving people palliatives like rice, maize and other incentives is only shortlived, stressing that the issue of expenditure on healthcare should not consume the income of the vulnerable population.

 “Bauchi state has 5.5 million vulnerable population and once you enrol the vulnerable group, making them have access to healthcare by using N12,000 per person in the health Contributory scheme in the state, that gives them access to health services for a whole year, thereby reducing the effect of healthcare expenditure that is pushing them to poverty”

“The vulnerable populations are the most affected by the removal of subsidy because they pay more for everything that they are doing. So if we give them access to healthcare for a year in addition to other things they are going to get, they will be happy with this administration” he said

Speaking earlier, the State Coordinator for J4PD, Elizabeth Kah, said that it is important for journalists to be adequately informed about the budget of their respective states, particularly in the area of releases and expenditure in order to hold the government accountable.

“This quarterly review meeting is to give us an opportunity to understand how to track the budget performance in our state so that we can make accurate and well-informed reports,” she said.

“This will make the government sit up, for instance, the government knows that 15 per cent of the budget was allocated to the health sector, but what was the performance like? So when they are aware of the performance and where they are lagging, they will improve,” she said.

Participants for the meeting were drawn from media organizations in the state both Print and Broadcast as well as the Community Radio stations.