James Danjuma, Katsina
Katsina state government says it plans to enrol additional persons within and outside the civil service into its Contributory Healthcare Scheme(KTSCHMA) to meet a 700,000 target it set for itself this year.
The Director-General, of the Health Scheme in Katsina State, Muhammed Safana stated this while appraising the performance of the agency since it commenced operation six months ago.
Safana said the state currently has 341,675 people who enrolled in the scheme, with 288,675 of them being civil servants and 53,000 from the private sector.
He said the agency will enrol students in higher institutions of learning in the state and engage in sensitisation of residents of the state, especially those living in rural areas to meet the target.
He added that the agency would also encourage individuals, including farmers, commercial motorcycle riders, and the like, to enrol in the scheme.
According to him, “With the level of our performance within the shortest time that we began operation, we have been able to register 288,675 enrollees from the formal sector and the 53,000 from the informal sector.
“Our target, as I said, is to reach 700,000 before the end of this year and we are not relenting to meet the target.
“Since the scheme is open to those who are 18 and above, we plan to enrol students in our higher institutions for the scheme since it is presumed that students in higher institutions should be 18 and above.
“We are also going to embark on community-based enrolment and constituency-based enrolment whereby lawmakers could register residents in their various constituencies to ensure that they enjoy medical facilities in all the participating hospitals in the scheme.
“Governor Aminu Masari wants every resident in the state to have access to qualitative and affordable healthcare and we are working in collaboration with the 422 Health Care facilities participating in the scheme across the state to make this a reality,” he added.
Safana also said that the two Emirates of Katsina and Daura had assisted the agency in the enrolment of those in the informal sector, adding that with a work plan put in place, the 700,000 targets would be met.
He said the state government had made available one percent of the consolidated fund revenue in the 2022 budget as a take-off grant for the agency, adding that the agency would start accessing the fund this month.
