Ahmadu Umaru was elated after enrolling in a Jigawa State Government health intervention program in June.
Mr Umaru and other selected people from poor nomadic settlements in Buji Local Government Area gathered at the primary health care center at the council headquarters in Buji town to enroll in the programme. He said being free of out-of-pocket expenses would allow him to take care of other needs.
“I am delighted to have been selected as a beneficiary because I will no longer have to sell my livestock to finance my medicines. We thank Governor Umar Namadi. May Allah protect him against his enemies,” Umaru told PREMIUM TIMES.
Ahmadu Umaru
Possible hope for poor Jigawa residents
Most of Jigawa's six million residents are poor. The northwestern state has a multidimensional poverty index of 0.385, the third worst in Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics.
The state also has one of the worst healthcare indices in Nigeria, with a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 424.1 in 2020, indicating that around 424 out of every 100,000 pregnant women in Jigawa died during childbirth. It is one of 10 states in Nigeria with a maternal mortality rate worse than the national average.
These are health indices so dire that the state government hopes to reverse them with its new plan, which focuses on the poor and vulnerable.
The health intervention scheme
After including it in the 2024 budget, the state government started the one billion naira health intervention program on October 1. The government's aim is to provide free primary health care services to vulnerable people for an initial period of 12 months. He said the plan offers members “access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial stress.”
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In the first phase of the programme, around 143,500 people from the 27 local government areas of the state were enrolled. The state Health Contributory Management Agency (JICHMA) carried out the registration after the State Executive Council approved the release of N1 billion for the ‘Danmodi Healthcare Programme’ on February 12.
The beneficiaries are 43,050 children under five years of age and 35,875 pregnant mothers. People with disabilities received 25,830 places, orphans received 14,350 places, the elderly (65 years and older) received 8,610 places, people living with sickle cell anemia and the poorest of the poor received 7,175 places each, and people living with HIV received 1,175.
Pregnant women and children under five years old already enjoy free basic medical services at public hospitals in Jigawa. However, with the new plan, the state government is seeking to expand those free services to include secondary healthcare and surgeries for the poor and vulnerable. An official bulletin seen by Newslodgestates that members are entitled to free primary and secondary healthcare services, including advanced research, endoscopy, CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dialysis and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). ), a surgery. It is used to stabilize and heal a broken bone.
To access services, an enrollee may register at an accredited health center outside of the political district where he or she enrolled.
The government said the agreement was deliberate to comply with the principles of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
At some of the enrollment centers visited by Newslodgein June, beneficiaries and officials who spoke with our reporter expressed optimism about the program and satisfaction with the selection processes.
One beneficiary, Fadimatu Muhammad, a resident of Rijiya in Gumel town who is two months pregnant, told Newslodgethat she was selected because she falls into the vulnerable category.
Ms Muhammad said she had benefited from previous government intervention programmes, but was benefiting for the first time in the healthcare space, describing the intervention as a continuation of benefits.
She said several women in her area benefit from free maternal and child health care, but this package goes beyond basic maternal health.
Elderly woman with her granddaughter at the Zango Gumel registration center
The JICHMA registered 500 vulnerable people from each of the state's 287 political districts. The director of primary health care in Birnin Kudu local government area, Bello Abdulkarim, said the council area with 11 political wards registered 5,500 people.
“At the local government level, we formed a 12-member committee that includes senior district heads, the chief imam of Birnin and representatives.
from community organizations, media, people with disabilities and representatives of Travelers,” said Abdulkarim.
The official said the committee included people from different backgrounds to ensure that the intended beneficiaries were selected for the programme.
“The selection process came down to district heads who know the vulnerable groups in their respective villages. Still, district heads carried out the selection processes under the supervision of community organizations,” Abdulkarim said.
He said the beneficiaries were selected digitally at the district level, and their profile appeared on the central saver at the JICHMA head office in Dutse, as registered beneficiaries.
Women at the registration center at Lafiya PHC Birnin Kudu
One beneficiary, Salaha Musbahu, from Wurno village in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area, said she learned about the scheme through her village chief and was selected because she is pregnant.
Ms Musbahu said she was among several pregnant women and other vulnerable groups targeted for intervention in her locality.
Another resident of Wurno village, Unguwa Ibrahim, 85, said he was delighted with the introduction of the health intervention program because it made him stop asking for help.
“Before this intervention, I used to beg people to help me get medical care. This is the first of its kind in my area. Before this intervention, I would normally seek help to address my healthcare needs, but with this advancement I will have access to all medical examinations and treatments because they are free,” said Mr. Ibrahim.
Ibrahim Maiunguwa
30 percent of the vulnerable populations targeted by the intervention.
The Governor's Technical Advisor on Health, Isa Surajo, said the program aims to accelerate the state's path toward achieving universal health coverage, with at least 30 percent of vulnerable populations covered.
Surajo said the program targets quality health care services for vulnerable populations to prevent them from having to pay out of pocket for health care.
“They will be provided with social insurance that will cover their health services for one year, which is subject to renewal,” Surajo said.
Health insurance is among the 17 areas outlined in Governor Umar Namadi's 12-point agenda, with a commitment to provide basic health services to vulnerable groups.
Some of the beneficiaries selected at the Birniwa LGA registration center
He said the main overall objective is to ensure the comprehensive development of the state by addressing poverty and creating wealth.
“The governor believes that wealth cannot be created with a sick population. The predominant population of Jigawa spends huge sums of money on purchasing health services,” Surajo added.
He said the intervention also addresses poverty through better health services and universal health coverage.
“Every beneficiary will benefit from free health services up to the secondary level, and that amounts to saving a huge sum of money that is spent on out-of-pocket expenses. The money will be saved for other economic activities within the state, addressing poverty.
“The first phase of the program covered 4.3 percent of the vulnerable population, but in the coming years we will target 30 percent of that population,” Mr. Surajo said.
Checking corruption in the program.
JICHMA Claims Management Director, Ahmad Rufa'i, said a beneficiary can claim over one million naira or more after a treatment, depending on the disease.
Rufa'i said his office, in charge of paying claims, uses the beneficiary profile to verify the actual medical services provided to a client before payment.
At the registration stage, each beneficiary is provided with a means of identification, including a telephone contact for easy verification while making the payment, the official said.
Expansion of social protection – Governor
After beneficiaries signed up in June, the plan took off on October 1. The governor said the plan was part of his administration's commitment to expand social protection to cover a large proportion of vulnerable segments of the state's population.
“The program is specifically designed to ensure that vulnerable and very low-income people can access essential health services in all areas, protecting them from the risk of falling into poverty as a result of enormous out-of-pocket medical expenses,” the governor said. . he said at the takeoff ceremony.
“By prioritizing these goals, we aim to create a health system that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable for all citizens and ultimately fosters healthier and more resilient communities.
The governor and other officials display a prototype of the programme's billion naira cheque.
“Together, we will continue to make a significant difference in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. Let us continue to move forward with optimism, knowing that we are contributing to a healthier and brighter future for all,” said Namadi.
He also commended UNICEF, which supported the expansion of the program to cover an additional 3,300 enrollees selected from six local government areas classified as “zero dose” LGAs: Dutse, Buji, Gwaram, Birniwa, Kafin-Hausa and Kiyawa.
Namadi said all members with scheme IDs could start visiting basic health centers where they are registered to receive free services. They are also eligible to be referred to secondary health centers when necessary.
We are inspired – WHO
The head of mission of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the country, Walter Mulombo, said the organization was inspired by Namadi's investment in healthcare since he took office.
Mulombo spoke through a representative at the presentation of the plan at the Government House Banquet Hall in Dutse.
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“The recruitment of more than 1,250 health workers and the provision of staff accommodation are important achievements that will ensure that our health facilities are equipped to meet the needs of the population effectively.
Some of the beneficiaries selected during the launch at Government House
“As partners, we are proud to be associated with this administration in its commitment to improving health care for all residents,” he said.