Politics
FOMWAN partners Ni-CARE to enrol 5,700 Niger residents
By Hamzat Ibrahim Abaga
THE Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Niger State chapter, has commenced a 10-day health insurance enrolment drive targeting 5,700 residents across six local government areas of the state.
The exercise, implemented under the Strengthening Public Accountability and Results in Knowledge (SPARK) 2 Project, in partnership with the Niger State Contributory Health Agency (Ni-CARE), was flagged off at Bida Town Hall in Bida Local Government Area recently.
The six local government areas covered by the exercise are Bida, Gbako, Chanchaga, Paikoro, Wushishi and Kontagora, with pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, children under five, older persons, and persons living with disabilities among those targeted.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, the State Coordinator of the SPARK 2 Project and the Niger State chapter of FOMWAN, Aisha Ibrahim Lemu, said the initiative was aimed at addressing financial barriers affecting access to healthcare in local communities.
Lemu said FOMWAN’s activities under the project, supported by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), included examining how Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) reaches communities and identifying ways of improving access to healthcare.
She said health insurance could help reduce the burden of out-of-pocket payments for residents enrolled under the Ni-CARE scheme.
“When a woman is enrolled, when her child is enrolled, the fear of that bill disappears. She can walk into a clinic and ask for help before it is too late,” Lemu said.
Speaking with The ICIR in Paiko, Lemu said the project focused on women and healthcare facilities in local communities across the six selected LGAs.
“Our focus is on women and healthcare facilities in the local communities,” she said.
She explained that two local governments were selected in each of the state’s three senatorial districts.
According to her, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children are among the groups being prioritised because some residents face difficulties accessing primary healthcare services, partly due to out-of-pocket expenses.
Lemu said FOMWAN was working with Ni-CARE to enrol residents so that those registered and assigned to designated facilities could access healthcare services covered by the scheme without paying directly at the point of service.
She added that the organisation had also trained Ward Development Committee members and officers in charge of primary healthcare facilities to enable them to make timely plans ahead of Basic Health Care Provision Fund disbursements.
“We want to enroll 5,700 and we have split it into the six selected local governments,” Lemu said.
Ni-CARE targets 65,000 residents
The Head of Information Sector, Ni-CARE, Habibah Lami Umar, said the agency’s partnership with FOMWAN was aimed at increasing health insurance coverage among residents.
“Partnering with FOMWAN is a very good initiative because we realise that they are interested in reducing maternal and infant mortality in our communities, and they have found a way to achieve this easily through health insurance,” Umar said.
She urged women, children and other residents to participate in the exercise.
Umar said Ni-CARE’s overall target for the current enrolment round was 65,000 residents across the state’s 25 local government areas, while 5,700 residents were allocated to the FOMWAN partnership.
Beneficiaries speak
Some residents who participated in the enrolment exercise in Paiko, headquarters of Paikoro Local Government Area, said they were looking forward to receiving their health insurance cards.
Umar Sanda, a father of six, said he was satisfied with the process and commended the state government, FOMWAN and Ni-CARE for the initiative.
“I can’t wait to receive my enrolment card to begin receiving free treatment. I will endeavour to enrol my wives and my children to benefit from the scheme,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Sadiya Adamu, thanked FOMWAN and Ni-CARE for the exercise.
“I will make sure I make judicious use of the scheme when I collect my enrolment card, and I will always visit hospitals for treatment, antenatal and other treatments,” she said.
The memorandum of understanding between FOMWAN and Niger State Contributory Health Agency (NGSCHA) provides for a ward-level enrolment across the six participating local government areas.
Under the agreement, 30 per cent of the baseline enrolment target will be mobilised through FOMWAN, while 70 per cent will be sourced through NGSCHA and the State Operations Coordinating Unit.
