Yobe, UNICEF Collaborate, Enroll 7000 Vulnerable Children, Women for Health Insurance SchemeSegun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have enrolled about 7,000 zero – dose poor women and children under the contributory healthcare scheme to access free healthcare services in Gulani and Geidam local government areas.

The enrollees were captured by the YSCHMA in collaboration with UNICEF, with the aim of giving them access to quality healthcare services at the designated health facilities.

The disclosure was made yesterday, by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, at the opening of a one-day stakeholders engagement meeting.

The meeting was on the UNICEF support to expand population coverage in two zero-dose local government areas of Yobe state held in Damaturu.

According to him, “Zero-dose children are children aged between 12 and 23 months, who have not received their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus, BCG, polio, meningococcal and pertussis containing vaccine (DPT-1).”

Gana, also said through the partnership with UNICEF, 3,500 children from each of the two local government areas would be covered with a pre-payment plan to access Primary and Secondary healthcare services in all YSCHMA accredited and engaged health facilities across the selected local government areas.

“The children will be enrolled to receive a full complement of primary healthcare services. When the need for referral arises, it will be made and it is also a free service,” he said.

The Commissioner further noted that the programme would complement the State Government’s Social Equity Programme, which had since enrolled over 32,000 vulnerable persons across the state.

He explained under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which was being supported by the federal government, over 45,000 vulnerable persons had been enrolled.

“This is aside from another set of the 2,500 vulnerable persons supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),” the Commissioner added.

The Commissioner therefore, commended the State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, UNICEF and other development partners in the state for their various supports in enhancing effective and efficient healthcare service delivery in the state.

In her remarks, the UNICEF representative at the meeting, Hajiya Fatima Muhammad, who is the State Social Behavioral Change Consultant, pledged more support to Yobe state health sector to enable it achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) objectives.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA), Dr. Babagana Tijjani, explained that the partnership between UNICEF and the Agency was aimed at enrolling vulnerable population in Geidam and Gulani local government areas of the state into the YSCHMA contributory health scheme.