Elderly, vulnerables gets insurance coverage in Plateau

By Moses Mark

Plateau state Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Barr Simon Lalong has on Tuesday launched the state Contributory Health Care Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) and flaged off enrolment into the State Social Health Insurance Scheme.

Lalong said his Administration has invested massively in the development of health sector through provision of infrastructure, medical consumables and equipment as well as manpower training.

The Governor while Launchig the scheme at New Government House Jos, said, the scheme is open for all Plateau residents in the formal and informal sectors together with their families.

He noted that the launching of the scheme underscores his administration’s focus on upgrading health facilities to global standards through his legacy projects of hospitals across the three Senatorial Districts.

Lalong said the completion of the 6 hospital will increase the demand for qualitative, preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative healthcare throughout the State.

”My hope is that the take off of this scheme will quarantee access to quality and timely healthcare services for the elderly, physically and mentally challenged, children less than 5 years, orphaned and vulnerable children, pregnant women and the internally displaced Persons who at the moment face difficulties”.

The Governor vowed that his administration will keep faith with its promise to leave lasting legacies in all sectors, including health.

“We have demonstrated this by completing projects such as the Riyom General Hospital after about 13 years since it was abandoned. Work has continued on other abandoned General Hospitals in Kwal in Kanke Local Government and Mabudi in Lantang South.”

He said that the event is a great step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage in Plateau State which is in line with the Rescue Administration’s first pillar policy thrust of Peace, Security and Good Governance.

“The World Health Organization acknowledges health as a fundamental human right and this administration believes firmly in this assertion. This is because only the healthy can participate in economic and social activities that contribute to the development of their communities.

”We are also taking the training of health professionals to the next level as the Plateau State University Bokkos has concluded plans for the take-off of the Faculty of Health Sciences. This is backed up with the establishment of a proposed Teaching Hospital.

The Governor thanked the Speaker and Members of the Plateau State House of Assembly for giving due consideration to the PLASCHEMA bill and passing it into law .

Director -General of the Agency, Dr. Fabong Jemchang who also spoke at the occasion said that the Agency is among other things mandated to regulate cost of healthcare and ensure adequate distribution of healthcare facilities across the 17 located government areas of the State.

Jemchang stressed that his agency, having been mandated to “regulate, supervise and implement State Social Health Insurance Scheme to provide universal health coverage for every resident of the State would work to ensure financial protection for individuals and families from huge medical bills and ensure equally distribution of health cost across different income groups.