By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Bauchi State coordinator of the Integrated Health Programme, Dr. Alhassan Isyaka has observed with dismay that it would be difficult for the 5.3 million classified as extremely poor people out of the estimated eight million population of the state to continually afford health services out of their pockets.
Making the observation on Wednesday in Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of the state at the opening of a two-day media engagement workshop on health insurance, Dr. Isyaka stressed the need for improved health insurance coverage for the people through the media communication strategies.
Isyaka enumerated three key elements of health insurance that included formal sector health insurance covering persons who work for organized public service, informal health insurance for the population not under formal employment, and the critical vulnerable population that do not have enough resources to pay for health insurance.
“These people are supposed to be paid for by the state, whether the federal, state or philanthropist people, coming from individuals or corporate organizations that are able to do that, and Bauchi at this moment is not benefitting from that”, he noted.
The program coordinator disclosed that only about 50, 000 people out of the 5.3 million are covered with health insurance, querying “How do you cover 50, 000 out of 5.3million and expect health indices would change as a result of that figure”, saying something has to be done to ensure that these poor people are able to access primary healthcare services.
“That is why today we think that it is important we give you all the facts as members of the media to understand what the issues are and then build-up what it is necessary around those issues and ensure that we get the right responses to require responsibilities or government of Bauchi state taking the responsibility very seriously”.
“It is going to require government at the centre, the federal government to redouble its efforts in this regard. Already, Basic Healthcare Provision Fund has taken care of some, which is why we are able to get 50, 000, but that is because, that is the only number is funding at the moment”, Isyaka added.
Isyaka however recalled that some movements around the National Assembly are trying to increase the allocation of fund, hence the need for the media to put in a lot of pressure to ensure that, that law is passed through for the government to take the next steps required to make the funding expanded to increase the number of benefitting people.
He explained that in the formal health insurance there are issues between the organized labour and the Bauchi State Government where a lot of progress have been made over the years, “So there is a room for the media to take up these issues and the organized labour to mediate with a view to move forward”
