Yobe enrols 400 vulnerable residents in health insurance scheme

Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has sponsored health insurance coverage for 400 vulnerable residents, including widows, elderly people and persons with disabilities, to reduce their exposure to out-of-pocket medical expenses.
The beneficiaries were enrolled in the informal sector programme of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency at a ceremony held at the NANNM Secretariat in Damaturu on Monday.

The initiative will give the enrollees access to basic healthcare services at accredited facilities of their choice across the state, including referral services when necessary.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of YSCHMA, Dr Babagana Tijjani, described the intervention as a lifeline for residents who struggle to pay medical bills.

“This is not just an enrolment, it is hope. With these enrollee identity cards, 400 vulnerable persons can now walk into any YSCHMA-accredited health facility to receive quality healthcare services without fear of hospital bills,” he said.
Tijjani urged politicians, business owners, philanthropists and wealthy individuals to support the scheme by sponsoring vulnerable people in their communities.

He said achieving universal health coverage would require contributions beyond government funding.
“The state government cannot do it alone. If every politician, businessman and philanthropist sponsors 10, 20 or 50 vulnerable persons, we will achieve Universal Health Coverage in Yobe State faster before the 2030 deadline,” he said.
“Health is the best gift you can give to a vulnerable person.”

He assured residents that the agency would continue to expand enrolment, improve service delivery and ensure transparency and accountability across the state's 17 local government areas.
Representing Buni at the ceremony, the General Manager of YOROTA and Director-General of COYAPO, Bature Goniri, said accessible and affordable healthcare remained a priority of the administration.

Goniri quoted the governor as saying he had fulfilled a promise to prioritise healthcare made during his first inauguration in 2019.
“On assumption of office during my first inaugural address in 2019, I promised to give special attention to healthcare as one of my topmost priorities. Today, I have fulfilled that pledge and I will continue to do more until the last day of my administration,” Buni said.
The governor also cited the establishment of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Yobe State Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency, Yobe State Hospital Services Management Agency and other health institutions as part of efforts to improve access to medical services without exposing residents to financial hardship.

Goniri pledged to sponsor 50 vulnerable persons across the 17 local government areas through COYAPO.
He also promised to encourage political appointees under the Governor Buni Youth Political Appointees initiative to sponsor at least two beneficiaries each.
Buni commended the management and staff of YSCHMA for their work and called on stakeholders to support the state's drive towards achieving universal health coverage by 2030.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Muhammad Maina and Hajja Gana Bukar thanked the governor for the intervention, saying the insurance coverage would reduce the financial burden of healthcare and ease some of the difficulties faced by vulnerable residents.