Plateau Healthcare Agency enrolled 87,922 persons in less than 3 years – DG

The Director General, Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA), Dr. Fabong Jemchang has said the agency which was established in June 2019 with the objective of ensuring that every resident of the State has access to good and affordable healthcare services has so far enrolled over 87,922 persons on the scheme.

Dr. Fabong added that apart from the agency mandate to provide access and affordable healthcare services to Plateau people, Governor Lalong also initiated the agency to enable Plateau State achieve universal health coverage.

Dr. Jemchang disclosed this in Jos during an interface with Journalists at Crest hotel, Jos, Plateau State.

“The sole aim of the agency is to ensure that individuals gain access to affordable, equitable, timely and quality healthcare with financial security for all residents of Plateau state irrespective of their socioeconomic statues”.

He explained that the agency has developed various programmes to cover different segments of the society; which includes Plateau State equity health plan consisting of children, pregnant women, elderly greater than 60 years.

He noted that the formal health plan consisting of uniform men and public sector employees while there is informal health plan and private health plan.

“The equity healthcare plan has enrolled 34,294 people, the formal healthcare plan with 11,031 principals with 28,597 dependents, and informal healthcare plan with 27 Pharmacies, 5 laboratories, 1 optometry general and cottage hospitals, with 3 tertiary institutions”.

Dr. Jemchang explained that the level of accessibility to this healthcare includes the primary healthcare services which is at the point of entry; the secondary which takes referrals from primary and the tertiary which takes care of all the referrals from primary and secondary.

He said, “the principal enrollee and his spouse with children below the age of eighteen years can have access to the healthcare services”.

The said the scope of coverage includes all students in tertiary institutions, all retirees, all pupils of public and private primary schools, all informal sector who enrolled and all voluntary contributors.

“The agency is poised to strengthen health financing by pooling resources and through strategic purchasing, mitigate high out of pocket expenditure.”

He stressed that PLASCHEMA has the lowest deduction rates compared to other schemes in the country and Plateau state have demonstrated massive will for it.

“The Agency was established by law to undertake the task of improving healthcare services and making same equitably available to all residents of Plateau State.