The Sokoto State Government has released N132m as counterpart funding for the state’s contributory health insurance programme, with the Sokoto State Contributory Health Management Agency targeting between 38,500 and 39,000 civil servants for enrolment.
The funding, described by the agency as the first counterpart contribution it has received from the state government since its establishment, is expected to support the rollout of health insurance coverage for workers and their families as part of efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare and move Sokoto closer to Universal Health Coverage.
The Director-General of the Sokoto State Contributory Health Management Agency, Yusuf Abu Abdulkarim, disclosed this during a media briefing in Sokoto, where he outlined the agency’s activities across the formal and informal sectors.
Abdulkarim said preparations for the formal-sector programme had reached between 90 and 95 per cent, with the agency now waiting for an official date to commence the enrolment of civil servants across the state.
He said agreements had already been reached with major labour organisations, including the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, while discussions had also been held with about 50 affiliated unions.
According to him, the willingness of the unions to participate had provided a major step towards launching the scheme for civil servants.
He explained that under the applicable legal framework, an enrolled civil servant would receive health coverage for himself or herself, a spouse and four biological children below the age of 18, bringing the standard family package to six people.
“Additional dependents will attract an extra premium of N12,000 to N20,000 per year,” Abdulkarim said.
He added that the state government was considering a contribution equivalent to between three and four per cent of a civil servant’s basic salary.
Based on the expected level of enrolment and contributions, the agency projects that the scheme could generate between N180m and N200m monthly, which the Director-General said would help sustain quality healthcare services for participating workers and their families.
“We are expecting nothing less than N180 million to N200 million monthly to ensure that civil servants are taken care of effectively with good quality of care,” he said.
Abdulkarim said the agency was established in 2018 but commenced full operations in 2021 with the responsibility of ensuring that residents of Sokoto State have access to healthcare services when needed.
“We were established with the sole mandate to ensure that all people residing in Sokoto are given the needed healthcare services and to ensure that everybody is taken care of effectively,” he stated.
The agency operates programmes for both the formal and informal sectors, with the informal component including the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The Director-General said the BHCPF, which is funded by both the Federal Government and the state government, currently operates in 132 wards across Sokoto’s 23 local government areas.
He disclosed that the agency was working to expand the programme to 244 wards, with the planned scale-up expected to provide coverage across the state.
“The target has been set by the federal government to scale up coverage, and directors and enumerators are in the field currently working to ensure that we achieve the scale-up,” Abdulkarim stated.
The BHCPF programme is targeted at vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children below five years, people with special needs, the poorest of the poor and elderly residents.
The expansion is expected to strengthen access to basic healthcare among communities where the cost of treatment can prevent vulnerable households from seeking medical attention.
Abdulkarim also explained that the agency had adopted a contributory model that he said was considered appropriate for Northern states in line with Islamic principles.
He said the model informed the decision to establish the Sokoto State Contributory Health Management Agency rather than adopting a conventional insurance structure.
Beyond civil servants and vulnerable groups, the agency is also implementing health-related interventions for students.
On student enrolment and the management of school clinics, Abdulkarim said the head of the school clinic was expected to chair the school health committee under the existing framework.
The committee, he explained, would include representatives of the Students’ Union Government, the institution’s bursary, the institution’s executive and the Sokoto State Ministry of Health.
“Under the law, the head of the school clinic should chair the school health committee,” he said.
“Members include the SUG President, a representative of the Bursary, a representative of the institution’s executive, and a representative from the SMOH.”
According to him, the committee would be responsible for determining healthcare priorities and decisions concerning the institution’s clinic.
However, the Director-General identified public misconception as one of the major challenges confronting contributory health schemes in Northern Nigeria, particularly in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
He said some people still misunderstood the purpose of contributing towards a health insurance scheme, particularly when they were not sick at the time of payment.
“People have this conception about what a health contributory scheme is all about,” Abdulkarim said.
He explained that the programme was designed to ensure that beneficiaries had access to healthcare whenever illness occurred rather than receiving cash only when they fell sick.
“We keep telling organisations and individuals that instead of giving a person money to go to hospital, hold it for the year so that whenever he is sick, he can visit a facility of his choice,” he explained.
Abdulkarim said beneficiaries were also allowed to select healthcare facilities based on their proximity to their homes and the services available at the facilities.
He addressed concerns surrounding the availability of medicines under the scheme, saying providers were required to follow the approved drug list.
According to him, the National Health Insurance Authority has an approved list of medicines covered under the programme, and healthcare providers are being trained to ensure that prescriptions remain within the scope of the scheme.
“If a doctor prescribes a drug outside the approved list, the beneficiary will be told it’s not covered,” he said.
“That creates the impression that they are being given substandard drugs. That’s why we ensure everyone in the ecosystem is well trained,” he added.
The Director-General also shared examples of beneficiaries who had benefited from the programme, including a woman who successfully delivered a baby through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He said the woman and her husband later visited the agency to express their appreciation for the support they received.
“The husband and wife came to the agency to thank us. I asked for their permission to make a documentary so people can see what we are doing,” Abdulkarim said.
He said such experiences demonstrated the potential impact of contributory healthcare programmes, particularly for low-income families who might otherwise struggle to meet the cost of medical treatment.
Abdulkarim also commended Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu for what he described as sustained support and commitment to the activities of the agency.
He said the N132m counterpart funding represented an important development for the programme and would contribute to the agency’s efforts to expand healthcare coverage.
The agency also received an Award of Excellence in Abuja in recognition of its performance, according to the Director-General, who linked the achievement to the support received from the Sokoto State Government.
He appealed to more residents to enrol in the contributory health programme, saying beneficiaries with positive experiences should also share their testimonies to encourage others to participate.
West Trybe reports that the expansion of contributory healthcare coverage in Sokoto comes as governments and health agencies across Nigeria continue to seek ways of reducing financial barriers to medical care and increasing the number of residents protected from catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure.
