The Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA) said it has successfully enrolled 115,628 vulnerable individuals to access free healthcare services since its inception in 2020.
Dr Saleh Abba, the Executive Secretary of BOSCHMA, shared this milestone during the flag-off of the maiden Healthcare Financing Week in Maiduguri on Monday. The event aimed to raise public awareness about BOSCHMA’s initiatives and activities.
The healthcare program
- Abba noted that BOSCHMA accredited approximately 183 Primary Healthcare (PHCs) facilities across the state in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA).
- These facilities play a crucial role in providing healthcare services to the enrolled beneficiaries. Additionally, all secondary facilities in the state received accreditation to serve as referral centres for the PHCs.
- “The total enrollment across the state now stands at 115,628, done in 162 PHCs across 25 LGAs,” stated Dr. Abba.
- To support the initiative, a total of N529.9 million has been disbursed as capitation to the 162 PHCs.
- Furthermore, 133 of these PHCs received support from information and communication technology (ICT) facilities, enhancing their operational capabilities.
Dr. Abba shared the agency’s focus on organizational strengthening, emphasizing the development of essential documents to guide operations.
These include documents related to drugs, consumables, and lab services, a 10-year strategic plan, a job description manual, and a quality assurance/Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework.
Discussing the enrolment of state and local government civil servants, Dr Abba mentioned ongoing discussions with organized labour to address concerns. The agency aims to enrol 100,000 beneficiaries from this sector.
Looking ahead to 2024, Dr. Abba expressed expectations for the approval of N211 million as part of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund counterpart funding.
This approval would significantly increase the coverage for vulnerable persons enrolled in the program.
The agency’s plans also include the establishment of two zonal offices, one in Biu town for Southern Borno and another in Monguno town for Northern Borno.
These offices aim to enhance service delivery and accessibility for the local population.
The Healthcare Financing Week activities include town hall meetings and road walks designed to create awareness and further engage the public in BOSCHMA’s mission to provide accessible and quality healthcare services in Borno State.
