Others • Created October 25, 2009 01:47

Yobe enrols 49,000 women, children in NHIS

He said the initiative which was a pilot project tagged “MDG Assisted NHIS Scheme” was achieved after the state government went into partnership with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office and contributed 50 percent out of the N178, 109, 688 initial money required for the take-off of the programme. Machinama said the benefitting LGAs included […]

Yobe enrols 49,000 women, children in NHIS
Yobe enrols 49,000 women, children in NHIS

He said the initiative which was a pilot project tagged “MDG Assisted NHIS Scheme” was achieved after the state government went into partnership with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office and contributed 50 percent out of the N178, 109, 688 initial money required for the take-off of the programme.

Machinama said the benefitting LGAs included Damaturu, Gaidam, Potiskum, Fune, Bade and Nguru and that 39 medical centres had been earmarked for the programme with six in each of the local councils. He said the state government had also gone into collaboration with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and an NGO, the Partnership for the Revival of Routine Immunisation (PRINN) towards providing free transportation to hospitals for women in distress and children.

He explained that two health maintenance organisations (HMOs) including Multi Shield Nigeria Limited and Emerald Nigeria Limited were approved to handle the scheme in the affected communities.

The commissioner described the health scheme as a renewed vigour towards achieving the 4th and 5th goals of the MDG. “The project is being monitored by an implementation committee comprising representatives from the ministries of health, women affairs, finance and the MDG focal person to ensure its success”, he said.

“With the intervention of the MDG/NHIS scheme in the six LGAs, government will continue to support the remaining 11 LGAs through the provision of free drugs for pregnant women and children towards achieving the same goal. The sum of N20 million is being expended by the government every month on this home grown project”, the commissioner added.

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