Kano Records 87.6% Health Insurance Coverage In 2 Years

The Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) has expanded health insurance coverage to 933,014 residents in 2025, marking an 87.6 per cent increase from 497,262 enrollees in 2023.

The executive secretary of the agency, Dr Rahila Mukhtar, announced this during a press briefing to commemorate the 2025 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, themed “Unaffordable Health Costs: We Are Sick of It!”

She stated that the increase reflects Governor Abba Yusuf’s commitment to reducing out-of-pocket health expenditures and ensuring financial protection for households across the state.

According to her, the most dramatic growth was recorded under the state-funded Vulnerable Group Programme, where enrolment jumped by 935 per cent – from 4,903 to 50,745 beneficiaries – supported by the Kano State Health Trust Fund (KHETFUND).

He noted that the category includes pregnant women, children under five, persons with disabilities, inmates and individuals with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease and HIV.

She also disclosed that enrolment under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) rose by 215 per cent to 342,515, while the formal sector increased to 537,914, representing a 40 per cent rise. The informal sector, she said, posted early growth from 148 to 1,840 enrollees.

Dr Rahila highlighted several reforms undertaken by the agency, including an aggressive communication and marketing strategy, development of a service charter, the AbbaCare programme for sickle cell patients, and the rollout of the Schools Contributory Healthcare Programme (SCHEP), with more than 3,000 students already enrolled.

She added that KSCHMA has upgraded its call centre, digitised service utilisation at primary healthcare centres, introduced house-to-house verification for BHCPF beneficiaries, deployed officers to high-volume facilities, and conducted more than 400 facility supportive supervision visits to improve service quality and claims processing.

The executive secretary said priorities for 2026 include expanding informal sector enrolment, strengthening drug supply chains, scaling up digital systems and deepening provider capacity.