Governor Elrufai Remarks At The Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Scheme

We are insulating our people from high health care costs

Remarks by Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, at the launch of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Scheme, on Thursday, 24th January 2019

I am delighted to launch the Kaduna State Contributory Health Scheme. This is a social protection scheme aimed at improving health outcomes, reducing household poverty and insulating the poor and vulnerable from impoverishing and catastrophic healthcare costs.

The Kaduna State Government conceived the Kaduna State Contributory Health Scheme to provide financial risk protection as well as improve access to quality health care for all residents of the State in line with the global vision to attain Universal Health Coverage. This complements our governance agenda to attain universal access to free, basic education in Kaduna State.

With universal coverage in Education and Health, we are advancing the human capital development component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Kaduna Contributory Health Scheme is one of the strategies for achieving this.

The Contributory Health Insurance Scheme is founded on the principle of solidarity, pooling resources from rich and poor, healthy and sick into a basket that is robust enough to cater for all. Therefore the Basic Benefits Package costs less than N700 per month, at N8000 yearly for individuals. For a family not exceeding six persons, the basic package costs N36,000 every year.

| wish to appeal to the good people of Kaduna State to own the Scheme by enrolling on the Scheme, accessing the healthcare services it provides and by providing feedback for the steady improvement of the Scheme.

We are gratefu| to the Kaduna State House of Assembly for enacting Law No 7 of 2018 that provides the legal framework for the establishment of the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority and the Kaduna State Contributory Health Scheme.

I also acknowledge the extensive work done by the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, the various inter-ministerial committees and Development Partners in operationalizing the Scheme. I enjoin all to work to ensure that the Scheme is implemented to achieve the goals for which it was established.

As stipulated by the Law, the Kaduna Contributory Health Management Authority has the mandate to ensure the objectives of the Scheme are achieved. The Authority is expected to enroll all residents and ensure access to healthcare services from prey qualified public and private healthcare facilities.

Nasir Ahmad EI-Rufai
Governor, Kaduna State