Taraba Government says it has commenced process toward the domestication of the Federal Government’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Innocent Vakai, disclosed this at a six-day Health Facility Baseline Assessment Training for Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) on Tuesday in Jalingo.
According to Vakai, the domestication of NHIS in the state was to enhance healthcare delivery in the state.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by the Taraba State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA) and the Taraba State Contributory Health Insurance Agency (TSCHIA).
The commissioner identified access to emergency health care delivery as one of the major areas lacking in the state.
He said that the domestication of the NHIS in the state would address some of the challenges facing the health sector in the state.
“Access to adequate health care services to the poor and vulnerable citizens in the state remains a major challenge and the adoption of the NHIS will squarely address it,” he said.
Vakai said that the commencement of the training of primary health facility managers was aimed at providing of health care services to the grassroots.
He said that the NHIS would take care of about 70 per cent of the population in the state that were residing in rural areas.
“The state government had already approved the allocation of 1 per cent out of its Consolidated Revenue Allocation to the state health insurance.
“The state government had also concluded plans for the installation of COVID-19 testing facility at the State Specialists Hospital, Jalingo.
“Henceforth, COVID-19 samples would no longer be taken to Abuja and elsewhere for laboratory test, ” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), Alhaji Aminu Jauro, commended the state government for giving priority to the health sector.
Jauro noted that the training would equip participants with basic skills on generation of data for effective provision of basic health care services in the state.
