The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has established a Technical Committee on Community Based Health Insurance Scheme in order to ensure affordable access to healthcare services in rural communities in the territory.
There are currently 861 communities in the six Area Councils of the FCT.
The Honourable Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, who inaugurated the Committee on Thursday in Abuja, said the scheme aimed to protect the rural poor from the burden of paying for healthcare directly from their pockets.
“The FCT Community Based Health Insurance Scheme aimed at providing access to healthcare services for the rural poor. Each rural beneficiary becomes a CBHIS subscriber the moment he/she signs up to the programme by paying a token for rural health insurance scheme.
“Families do not have to divert money that is supposed to be used for food and education to treat illnesses or do not have to sell their household assets to pay for healthcare services for their family members,” said Akinjide, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed.
The minister reiterated the commitment of the FCT Administration to create an enabling environment, develop a policy and legal framework, strengthen institutional arrangements, and provide regular and sustained financial support through increase target coverage of health.
She explained that the Technical Committee was expected to come up with an institutional framework for the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme in FCT.
The Committee, which is chaired by the FCT Minister of State, has as members the Emir of Jiwa, HRH (Dr.) Idris Musa; Director of Economic Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaji Ari Isa Mohammed; Secretary of FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed and Director of Primary Health Care in Area Council Services Secretariat, Dr. Sani Muhammed.
Other members include: Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Mr. David Gende; Dr. Hope Iloeaja of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS); Dr. Hamza Aliyu of NHIS, and Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Director of FCT Area Council Health Insurance Scheme serves as Secretary to the Committee.
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