Plateau healthcare Agency Enrolls 34,385 Beneficiaries in Two Years

Isaac Aba’a Jos

Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA)  said has enrolled about 34,385 health insurance beneficiaries into the scheme since the agency kick started it’s operation two years ago.

The director general of PLASCHEMA, Dr. Fabong Jemchang said the agency has  achieved a tremendous success and they are determine to do more.

Jemchang made the remarks on Friday in Jos, Plateau State during an interface with Journalists, as a means of showcasing it activities to the public for more participation.

He said the media has an important role to play in achieving universal healthcare coverage in Plateau and Nigeria due to it role in education the society.

According to him, “the agency has been engaging stakeholders to secure community sustainability for universal health coverage and media will help to defused tension when it comes to Government policy to strengthen community participation and community sustainability.”

The DG revealed that the agency has developed various programmes to cover different segments of the society which includes; equity health plan, formal health plan, the informal health plan and private health plan respectively.

He said poverty magnifies the need for healthcare while shrinking the capability to finance it. Noting that” there is a serious burden of disease on the Plateau.

He said instead of paying N40,000 the agency decided to slice the amount of premium package to N12,000 which served as incentive irrespective of financial status of an individual.

He expressed concern over the attitude of government elected officials and appointees towards the scheme as they refused to secure premium package for health insurance services to the masses that is very cheap despite several engagement with them.

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The DG acknowledged that only deputy speaker National Assembly, Rt. Hon.Idris Maje Wase, Hon. Nabasu, late statistician general of the Federation and chief executive of the National Bureau of statistics (NBS) Simon Harry and two APC gubernatorial aspirant Dr. Patrick Sunday Dakum and Sunday Garba Biggs were been able to secure premium package for their people.

He said the agency has about 375 state work across the 17 LGA, stressing that rural communities have benefited from the scheme more than urban dwellers.

However, participants at the interactive session charged PLASCHEMA to create jungles in local dialects to help casket the message about the activities of the agency down to the communities.