Niger State Health Insurance Agency (NiCare) has convened a pivotal meeting with religious leaders as Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago approved the enrolment of 20,000 vulnerable people into the state’s health insurance scheme.
The agency met with representatives of the Imam Forums and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to get their support for the scheme.
The executive secretary of NiCare, Sulayman Abu-Bakr, said at the meeting that the engagement was to foster a collaborative relationship between NiCare and religious leaders.
He said the move was to ensure that the people get the understanding of NiCare and ensure that no one in the state was left behind.
Abu-Bakr said NiCare’s mission was to support the people by providing affordable access to essential healthcare.
He presented NiCare’s healthcare plans, including the formal and informal sector plans, the T-SHI and Equity Plan which focuses on covering the most vulnerable.
He further discussed the Basic Health Care Provision Fund which caters for vulnerable groups and announced that Governor Mohammed Bago had approved the enrollment of 20,000 individuals under this plan, allowing them to access care at no cost.
However, he said that despite the efforts, there was a challenge of low service utilisation among the vulnerable population, adding that while funds were allocated for the vulnerable, many were not fully utilising the services.
Consequently, he said in recognition of the influence the religious leaders have on their communities, he sought their support to sensitise their subjects and identify vulnerable individuals who could benefit from NiCare’s support.
Additionally, he invited the clergy to participate in the review of NiCare’s operational guidelines, valuing their insight and counsel to make the scheme more effective.
