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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Executive Secretary of the Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KECHEMA), Dr Jafar Augie Muhammed, has explained that the laws establishing the agency prevent any form of diversion of its fund for projects not meant to be executed or implemented.
Muhammed stated this while responding to questions from stakeholders during a two days retreat, organised by the agency, in collaboration with IHP, held in Sokoto.
He also noted that the massive contributions of well-meaning citizens into the agency’s pool, would put an end to the poor and shrink health services across the 21 local government areas in the state.
He said that “according to the KECHEMA laws, the agency fund could not be used for anything that is not meant for. We can only invest 5% of the fund, not using it for just anything.”
Speaking on the plan expansion of the agency’s facilities due to the enrolment of civil servants into the scheme with a monthly deduction of 3% from their basic salary, Muhammed disclosed that they are going to create more than 50 facilities across the local government in the year 2023 in 225 political wards.
“We intend to include 50 facilities this year because of the new enrolment of civil servants. The Primary Health Centres (PHC) will be increased by 50. The Act of KECHEMA stipulated that within three years, we must increase it by 30%, in five years, we must increase the facilities by 70% and within 7 years, they must be increased by 100%. So, we have increased these facilities within two years, this makes us to be within the guideline,” he said.
Muhammed explained that the actual deduction of 3% from the basic salary of the civil servants was targeted to yield about N886,940,300.11, stressing that if all the Principals are covered, the total expected premium would be N128,022,000 per month.
“If KECHEMA laws are to be followed, there would not be any problem. The way forward is that, KECHEMA recommend that, a civil servant may agree to pay the informal sector monthly premium of N400 per life for any additional dependant.
“Example is N400 for additional life. N2000 for five additional lives, N4,000 for 10 additional lives. The union leadership may serve as the Board of Trustees to ensure the success of the arrangement and KECHEMA shall pay the charges,” he said.
He disclosed that the deductions of civil servants under the local government is expected to kick off in January 2023, while negotiation with the retirees would also commence in January.
Muhammed, who urged the enlightened and educated stakeholders to be advocators to mobilise more enrolment of people for the scheme, said, the agency has commenced negotiations with the tertiary institutions on how to enrol their students into the scheme.
The KECHEMA Executive Secretary appealed to the CSOs, NGOs and labour leaders to support the agency’s advocacy in mobilising more people to enrol into the scheme, especially, the informal and formal sectors, stressed that, the general pool would go a long way to improve health services in the state.
In his contribution, the Kebbi State Chairman of NLC, Umar Halidu Alhassan, urged the people of the state not to be discouraged from enrolling into the scheme due to disparity in the percentage of monthly deduction, noted that people should perceive the contributions as service to the humanity and God.
In her response, Dr. isha Aminu Senchi disclosed that the federal government had contributed and paid N427 million for the first and second phases to Kebbi State, stressing that all the patients enrolled in the scheme have their Identity cards which they could use to access the health service in any public hospitals in the state.
She added that there has been an improvement in health services delivery at the various Primary Healthcare Centres at various LGAs, stressing that doctors and senior health workers are resuming at the Centres after their closing hours at the General Hospitals to discharge their humanitarian services at the PHCs closer to their respective homes.
A CSO leader in the state, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi Ngaski, charged the agency to be more prudent, and transparent in the running of its activities.
Other speakers at the retreat including NMA, and JUSUN, among others, sought improvement in the health facilities at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the 225 wards of the state, dissolution of selection of PHCs for political or personal interest, deployment of health workers and Doctors to the PHCs at the grassroots, among others.
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