The Kano state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC Comrade Kabiru Inuwa has called on the Kano state government to make it mandatory for private companies to enroll their employees into KSCHMA before registration.
The NLC chairman made the call at a 3-day Consultative Workshop with the Private Sector (OPS) organised by the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency KSCHMA in collaboration with the FCDO Lafiya programme in Kaduna.
SIMILAR: Kano Citizens advocate for enhanced enrollment of vulnerable in BHCPF
Comrade Inuwa observed that in some states enrollment into healthcare contributory schemes is a prerequisite of registering private companies.
Also speaking the Kano state chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Mubarak Baba said they would convey the meeting to their respective branches for further consultations.
The state chairman Organised Private Sector (OPS) noted that most of the employees of private sector are yet to enroll in any healthcare scheme.
On his part the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Comrade Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo advised KSCHMA to reconstitute the monitoring team to consist of its staff and labour unions to monitor the accredited health facilities under the scheme.
Earlier, Dr Saidu Muhammad who wrote the first council memo on state contributory healthcare scheme acknowledged the role of labour unions in the establishment of KSCHMA.
He therefore appealed to union leaders to support KSCHMA in bringing organise private sector into the scheme.
The Executive Secretary of Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency KSCHMA Dr Rahila Mukhtar said so far 239,968 enrollees had received malaria treatment under its scheme in the first quarter of 2024.
The Executive Secretary added that 27,887 others had received typhoid treatment at different health facilities under state contributory healthcare scheme during the period under review.
According to her the enrollees have utilised 3,160 normal deliveries, 103 Ceasarian Section (CS), 14,777 Antenatal Care (ANC) and 162 Obstetric Scan in the first quarter of 2024.
She recalled that the enrollees have utilised more than 900,00 different services under the scheme in 2023.
Representative of FCDO Lafiya Programme Malam Abdulhamid Abubakar expressed the commitment of FCDO in supporting KSCHMA in ensuring Kano residents have access to comprehensive healthcare services.
“Our dream at FCDO Lafiya Programme is to see all Kano residents have access to quality healthcare services. We are working towards ensuring out of pocket expenditure on health is being reduced to the barest minimum from what is obtainable now which stand at over 80℅.
“And reduce the maternal and under five mortality deaths due to lack of access to healthcare services.”