The Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency has enrolled 97,000 beneficiaries under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, BHCPF.
The agency also disbursed over N1.2 billion to primary healthcare facilities in the last three years, Executive Secretary, Dr Abbah Saleh-Kaza disclosed during the 2024 Performance Review exercise, on Monday in Maiduguri.
He said the agency accorded priority to family health services, adding that expectant mothers and children constituted more than 50 per cent of the enrollees.
Saleh-Kaza said that the agency enrolled 22,000 pregnant women and 14,000 children into the scheme since inception.
“Reducing maternal mortality is a priority for us, and we continue to focus on providing quality healthcare to mothers and children in the state,” he said.
According to Saleh-Kaza, the N1.2 billion capitation payment is making significant impact on the BHCPF towards improving primary healthcare facilities for effective service delivery.
“In 2024 alone, the state government allocated N699 million for capitation to primary healthcare centres. Since the inception of the BHCPF, we have consistently paid capitation on time, even in the absence of federal government funds.
“In January and February 2024, we are able to pay the first quarter capitation despite delays in federal releases.
“In 2024, BOSCHMA disbursed over N40 million in fee-for-service payments to 172 secondary healthcare facilities, a significant increase from N20.5 million in 2023 and N600,000 in 2022,” he said.
Saleh-Kaza said the gesture facilitated referral between primary and secondary healthcare facilities, which showed major improvement in quality healthcare service delivery.
“With the introduction of an electronic referral system, we have seen a significant improvement in the efficiency of our healthcare services.
“We have N300 million reserve for referrals this year, and we are committed to utilising at least 50 per cent of the funds to enhance healthcare delivery.”
He said that about 15,000 of the enrollees were treated of malaria, hypertension, diabetes, dental and ophthalmology, while the prevalence of mental cases prompted the partnership between the agency and the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri.
“One of the challenges we face is the increasing number of mental health cases, and we are working to establish a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care,” he said.
On challenges, Saleh-Kaza identified poverty as the major bane preventing many people from accessing quality healthcare services in the state.
“Our state remains one of the most impoverished in Nigeria, and we must do more to ensure that everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, has access to quality healthcare. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a humanitarian one,” he said.
While soliciting for more funds, Saleh-Kaza said the agency would expand the scope of its services to enhance access to quality healthcare services to the vulnerable population.
“Although we have made significant progress, we still have a long way to go in terms of coverage. Our aim is to increase the number of enrollees and ensure that we meet the healthcare needs of all residents.”
He lauded Gov. Babagana Zulum for his support to the agency, to enable it to provide quality healthcare services to the people.
Dr Muhammed Guluze, Permanent Secretary Administration, Government House, Maiduguri, underscored the importance of the exercise towards improving health outcomes in the state.
He urged the participants to actively engage in discussions and critiques to foster progress.
Ahmed Jamal, the Secretary, National Health Insurance Agency commended the state for attaining 97 per cent of its goals.
He emphasised the critical role of the state government towards ensuring the success of healthcare programme, and called for effective stakeholder engagement to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
Crediblenewsng.com
