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By Akanji Alowoludo, Bauchi
It has been stressed that government alone cannot provide health-care for every of its citizens because of the growing population and other challenging factors demanding government attention.
The observation was made by the Health Financing Advisor of USAID-IHP, Pharmacist Khalid Kasimu during a two-day engagement meeting on mobilizing resources through equity funding for Health Insurance Premiums for the vulnerable population, for stakeholders in the State Ministry of Health, Bauchi State Health Contributory Management Agency(BASHCMA) Sharia Commission and Religious organizations in the state held at Hazibal Suites, Bauchi on Tuesday.
Khalid Kasimu stressed that the health contributory scheme is the way to go where everybody puts their efforts by contributing so that everyone can have access health services.
He also said that the aim of the meeting was to create awareness among the stakeholders about the potentials of endowment funds for financing health premiums contributory schemes for vulnerable population as well as develop a detailed action plan.
It is also for outlining the roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders in mobilizing resources for health contributory premiums for the vulnerable population with clear timelines and milestones to be achieved within six months of the engagement meeting.
The USAID IHP Health Financing Advisor, Pharmacist Khalid Kasimu who spoke on the objectives of the meeting, said that Universal health Coverage is a current reform that is on-going and everyone must have access to health-care as it is a rigth.
According to him, “This meeting is to identify specific opportunities and collaborations between the Ministry of health, BASHCMA, Sharia Commission, Religious associations and other groups that are willing to collaborate and ensure that vulnerable population access healthcare.”
He added that,”For government to continue to provide free health services for people will never be enough and is not sustainable, so you cannot downplay the importance of contributory health scheme.”
Khalid Kasimu also said that, “Everybody in the country must have access to health-care, it is a must, because one way or the other we all fall sick, but the inability of any member of a community not to have access to health-care, is a failure on our part, what that means is that we did not make proper arrangements for such things to happen.”
“So, we can only achieve universal health coverage if we have different approach and systems to ensure everyone have access to health-care,” he said.
In his presentation on leveraging collaboration for financing Health Insurance Premiums for the vulnerable population, the Sharia Commission’s Commander of Hisbah, Ibrahim Musa stated that currently the Commission is funded by Zakat (portion of wealth designed for specific persons as preached in the Holy Qur’an) and endowments.
Ibrahim Musa stressed that the Commission should be officially inaugurated by government with its share of contribution so that it can actively participate in funding health scheme for vulnerable persons in the state.
On his part, Dr. H.D. Umar, Director Programs of the Bauchi State Healthcare Contributory Management Agency (BASHCMA), spoke on the various health insurance programs of BASHCMA.
He said that under the Public sector program, 81,000 vulnerable persons have been enrolled, under the informal sector program, 367 persons have been enrolled while under the formal sector program, only 52,199 Civil servants and their dependants have been enrolled.
