Kwara Health Insurance Scheme gulps £67m

The Kwara state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has disclosed that the State Health Insurance Scheme is to gulp £67m in the next five years.

Ahmed spoke while declaring open the Kwara State Health Insurance Research and Advocacy conference in Ilorin.

The governor said the state government is expected to pay £34m as premium subsidy based on the current arrangement.

He added that £4.9m co-premium would be paid by other participants in the programme, while other commitments were £28.1m, £9.9m, £15m and £3.2m for third party premium subsidy, technical assistance and research to be provided by technical partners.

Represented by his Deputy, Elder Peter Kisira, the governor stressed that "For socio-economic development and political stability of any nation, qualitative Health Care for the citizenry is a sine-qua-non".

Ahmed who underscored the importance of Universal Health Coverage adopted by Nigeria government said the lofty aims and objectives of the programme could be achieved by broaden access through subsidised Community Health insurance.

While highlighting his government's efforts to improve access to qualitative Healthcare delivery, the governor disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed to implement the Community Health Insurance Scheme(CHIS) to cover 1million people in the "rural poor segment".

His words:" At the exit of my predecessor, my administration during my first tenure consolidated the programme and expanded it to Kwara South senatorial district.

"Today, the Community Health Insurance Scheme is now operational in all three senatorial districts across 13 Local Government Councils.

"Currently, there are about 105,000 low-income people enrolled on the programme. Since the beginning of the programme, there have been over 600,000 clinical patients' visits".

The Initiative of the immediate past Governor of Kwara State, Sen Bukola Saraki at introducing Community Health Insurance Scheme in the state has been applauded.

Participants at a day Kwara State Health Insurance Research and Advocacy conference in Ilorin paid a glowing tribute to the Senate President for putting the state on the path of development.

The Chief Medical Director, Lagos State Teaching Hospital(LUTH), Prof Akin Osibogun who is double as the chairman of the occasion and other famous medical doctors from far and near said the former governor had laid a good precedent for others to follow.

They further pointed out that the programme was an easiest way to achieve Universal Health Coverage(UHC) that the country was craving for.

They also called on other states of the federation to borrow a leaf from Kwara Health programme in order to create free access to low salary earner.

In his introductory remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Alhaji Raufu Ayinla told the gathering that the programme started in 2007 based on Public Private Partnership arrangement.

Also speaking the Executive Director, Hygeia, Mrs Fola Laoye called for a paradigm shift from governments at all levels in improving funding of health sector with a view to surmounting challenges in the health sector.

She also enumerated the aims and objectives of the programme, saying that mechanism should be put in place to in creating independent Health Insurance fund.

In his remarks, the Emir of Shonga, Alhaji Haliru Yahaya who traced the success story of the programme in his domain praised the state government for its efforts at providing sound healthcare to the citizenry at the subsidised rate.

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