By Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
The Jigawa government has budgeted N900 million annually for the provision of free healthcare services to women and children for four years across the state.
The governor Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar stated this on Monday during the flag-off of the formal sector contributory health care scheme held at the Dutse general hospital.
Badaru said, high cost of healthcare services has been a challenge to families, low income individuals and other vulnerable segments of the society which was why the government has increased the monthly funding from N15 million to N75million.
The governor said the services cover all pregnant women, children under the ages of five, accident victims, correctional inmates and boarding students across the state.
He said, “the contributory healthcare scheme is a further effort in ensuring an overall objective of healthy and productive population through access to comprehensive, appropriate, affordable, efficient, equitable and quality essential health care”, he said.
He said financing healthcare delivery requires efficient and prudent management of resources which is why the government has consistently allocated an average of 15% of the state budget to the sector since 2016.
Earlier, the executive secretary of the scheme Dr. Nura Ibrahim Kazaure said no fewer than 40,000 civil servants of the state have been registered under the scheme while about 200,000 of their dependants would also benefit from the exercise.
Dr. Nura said the beneficiaries would access services through 191 healthcare providers that includes both private and public across the state.
He explained that all registered beneficiaries can immediately begin to access the services with their family members in their chosen healthcare facility.
