The Jigawa state government, under Governor Malam Umar Namadi, has released the sum of N1.5 billion for the provisions of free basic healthcare services for registered 143,500 vulnerable across the 27 local government areas of the state.
This was disclosed by the Technical Adviser (TA) to the governor on health matters, Comrade Isah Surajo in a speech delivered at a one-day town hall meeting with relevant stakeholders held at the conference hall, new Secretariat, Dutse.
The Technical Adviser explained that the programme which is under the Jigawa Health Equity Fund (JHEF) is meant to address the health disparities that underline Nigeria’s health system.
According to him “It is meant for the attainment of the highest level of health for all residents of Jigawa state, where every resident has a fair and just opportunity to attain optimal health regardless of ethnicity, disabilities, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography or other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes.”
Surajo said the programme will focus on the provision of Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) to poor and vulnerable populations, is in line with the state’s desire to accelerate its journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He maintained that the target groups must be from poor and vulnerable households including pregnant women, elderly groups 65 years to above, people with disabilities, sickle cell disease patients, HIV patients and orphans.
The Technical Adviser therefore urged the people in the state to cooperate and support the move for the success of the program and for a better health system across 27 local governments of Jigawa state.
In his part, the commissioner for health, Dr Abdullahi Kainuwa said the Malam Umar Namadi’s lead administration had redesigned the healthcare delivery system through massive constructions and renovations of health facilities across the state for affected healthcare delivery system for all.
Kainuwa explained that “under this project (JHEF) the state government set aside N500 million for fee for service. This another project which under that would take care and settle any medical case of the registered vulnerable above primary healthcare services”.
“As it designed, the JHEF is to provide primary Healthcare service only, but in a situation where a registered person under this programme needs emergency secondary or tertiary health attention, the referral facility would provide the service and the government would settle the bill.”
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