Kaduna enrols 400,000 into Contributory Health management Scheme

A total of 400, 000 Kaduna citizens from across the 23 Local Government Areas have been enrolled into the Kaduna Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) scheme.

Dr Juliana Dauda B, Head Operations Department, (KADCHMA) said in an interview that, about 46,000 vulnerable people have also been enrolled into the scheme from across the 23 LGAs.

The scheme was passed into law in 2018 by the Kaduna State government to provide health care services to the residents at very subsidised rates and qualitative manner.

It led to the establishment of KADCHMA, with the mandate of delivering and operating the contributory health scheme itself.

“right from the inception, since it was established, we’ve followed through on our key mandate and have been able to enrol a total of over 400,000 currently released to the scheme from the formal sectors, informal and vulnerable components of the population of Kaduna state,” Juliana said.

“I can tell you that the state has over 250 healthcare providers, both primary and secondary and public and private providing services for this scheme across the 23 LGAs.

“Currently every Ward in each LGA of the state has at least one facility providing services for the enrollee which met service provision of equitable access for service provisions for citizens.

“Because one of the hindrances to qualify access to services is the availability of those facilities to the proximity, close to where people are residing. So we’ve been able to identify this facility and have been able to accredit them and certify them with the necessary tools to provide the service,” she added.

Dr.Juliana called on residents of the state to avail themselves of the scheme for the huge benefits they stand to achieve.

“We’re calling on everybody, not only civil servants. It’s meant for residents of Kaduna state, civil servants from formal and informal sectors, private, traders, artisans, others, because they’re entitled to the scheme which provides robust services in a very subsidised way in a very qualitative manner, and sustained as well.

“We’re still working on the enforcement strategy to key into it. We’re working with relevant agencies and organisations to enforce the law in the near future. Every Kaduna civil servant has been registered.”

The law stated that it’s mandatory for everybody who is resident in Kaduna state to key into the scheme.

People are excited about the scheme but some have reservations about the scheme in terms of newness, people are sceptical in joining the scheme on sustainability, the premium goes by the economic status of most people.

The premium for an individual is N10, 650 per annum, and for the family plan, a family of 6 is N57,950 per annum. So one of the challenges or the constraint to the take-up of these two by the informal sector is the premium itself.

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