Plateau Health Agency Receives N327M Counterpart Funding for 2024, Says DG

The Director General of the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA), Dr Manasseh Agabus Nanfwang, has revealed that the agency has received N327 million as the government’s counterpart funding for the vulnerable people for the year 2024. This marks the first time the agency has received such funding.

Dr. Nanfwang said that the agency remains committed to providing preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative healthcare services to residents at an affordable cost. He assured the public that all resources would be judiciously used to offer the necessary care to all residents of the state.

The DG, on Wednesday, addressed accusations on social media, where netizens alleged that the agency was being misused as a means to embezzle state funds. The allegations suggested that the Secretary to the Government of Plateau State, Samuel Jatau, had orchestrated the placement of Director of Health Services, Standards and Quality Control, David Wuyep, to facilitate embezzlement.

Dr. Nanfwang, represented by Pharm. Danladi Wuyep, the Director of Health Services Standard and Quality Control, dismissed the allegations as baseless, flippant, and mischievous. He suggested that the accusations might be linked to a scuffle over the position of the chief executive of the agency following the change in administration.

He said, “As soon as Caleb Mutfwang came into office, a directive was issued to all CEO of MDAs to hand over to the next senior officer in all MDAs and this triggered a scuffle for the position of the acting DG of the agency and it’s at this point that the Secretary of the Government of Plateau state came into the picture who was able to resolve the scuffle, which eventually made me the acting DG.

“It should be noted that here that this was my first encounter with the SGS who has proven to be a seasoned administrator, a man of integrity who would rather identify with the truth as against the speculation to drive home an ill intention that our economic situation has climaxed to a deplorable state that warrants men to sell their conscience for a morsel.”

He refuted claims of mismanagement, stating that an investigative audit was conducted on the agency from inception, as directed by an Executive order from the office of the Attorney General. The report was forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for necessary punitive measures.

He said that immediately after he assumed office, his predecessor handed N10 million to him, in addition to the N28 million handed over to his predecessor by the pioneer DG, making a total of N38 million and wondered where the N800 million he was accused of having expended came from.

“Concerning the allegation of pilfering, as soon as this government came into power, an Executive order from the office of the Attorney general was served to direct the Agency to carry out an investigative audit of the Agency from inception and an external audit firm was engaged. This was done and the report was forwarded to the office of the Attorney General for necessary punitive measures.