…….as BASHCMA interfaces with stakeholders in Misau, Katagum LGAs
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As management staff of Bauchi State Health Contributory Management Agency (BASHCMA) with support from United States Agency for International Development’s funded Integrated Health Program (USAID IHP) takes its maiden town hall meeting to Katagum and Misau Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bauchi State, enrollees under the scheme have continued to shower accolades to Bauchi State Government for making health care services accessible and free for vulnerable members of the society.
In a random interview with beneficiaries conducted by our correspondent in Katagum and Misau LGAs during the town hall meetings, beneficiaries showered commendation to Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, BASHCMA and Implementing Partners for bringing succor to their families.
Hauwa Sani – 21 Years from Bulkachuwa (Mother of One) said, “I have been accessing free healthcare services in our PHC at Bulkachuwa even before i conceived. With the pregnancy, I have also access full antenatal care services and delivered at the PHC without having to pay for any of these services. My 8 months old baby too is enrolled under the scheme and at any point we fall ill, all we need to do is to get to the health care center and we will be attended to free of charge.
Ummaliya Dauda- 32 Years mother of 2 children said, she accompanied her two under aged children that were enrolled as beneficiaries. “Praise be to Allah and the initiators of the scheme for this life touching program. Two of my children are accessing free medical care. At least these two kids are off our lists of potential children that we may have to spend from our pockets for their medical needs, we are grateful.
Umaru Mohammed Chinade (Chairman WDC of Chinade) said, “As you can see i just accompanied two children that were enrolled in my ward to this meeting. They are accessing free health care services at primary health care centers in our ward. We want to most sincerely appreciate Government for what they are doing to vulnerable members of our communities”.
Altine Shehu (mother of a child enrollee): “I praise Allah for having my child, Buhari Shehu enrolled into the health insurance. Our financial burden as family has significantly reduce because we no longer have to pay for Buhari’s medical expenses. I wish Governor Bala Mohammed could expand this program to include entire household members.
75 years old Maina Manu Abubakar from Gugulin Ward in Misau LGA was full of praises to the health contributory scheme saying, “as an aged person with no means of earning a living, it gladdens me to know that i don’t have to contain with the issue of having to pay for health care services when i fall ill”.
In the same vine, another aged enrollee, 87 year old Mallam Shehu Kala of Hardawa Ward of Misau LGA also thanked management of BASHCMA for their diligence in selecting the real people that needed to be enrolled into the health contributory scheme. “Though old age comes with its health challenges, it is indeed gratifying to know that i can access free health care services”.
While sharing her experience under the Scheme, a 34 year mother of 4, Zainab Ahmadu Danja of Gwaram ward also in Misau LGA said that, her last pregnancy came with lots of health challenges that made her a regular visitor to her immediate primary healthcare center. “Not only did i received services at our village PHC, but on four occasions i was referred to a secondary health facility ( General Hospital Misau) and in all these four occasions, my husband did not spend a penny for the services. At one point i was even admitted, where i was given 8 pints of blood transfusion and 7 packs of intravenous fluids. All these were administered to me free of charge.
“So, you can see that i am a living testimony of the effectiveness and quality of care of the Bauchi State health contributory scheme. This town hall meeting is an opportunity for me and on behalf of my husband to express our heart felt gratitude to BASHCMA, service providers and other stakeholders in the scheme”, Zainab said.
Another stakeholder Ishaq Abdullahi Hardawa , the Imam of JIBWIS Juma’at Mosque Hardawa also shared his thoughts with Daily Chronicle.
“Prior to this stakeholders engagement, my knowledge of health contributory scheme is shallow, but with the presentations made by BASHCMA, remarks from USAID-IHP and testimonies from enrollees, i now fully understood how the scheme works.
“To my understanding, the scheme is more like creating a pool of resources aimed at footing medical bills when one is ill. So, when i pay my premium and all through the year i did not fall sick to warrant my accessing services, at least my premium can used to pay for these that falls sick by settling their bills. This act of sacrificing one’s premium does not only help others but also earns someone reward from God.
“From here onward, i will sensitize our followers on the efficacy of the scheme and also enroll myself and family too”, said Imam Abdullahi.
As always, every implementation of a program or activity comes with its challenges too and the State health contributory scheme is not different.
Service providers at the meetings unanimously agreed that, apart from challenge of human resource at the facility level, one issue that keeps raring its head was the poor knowledge of enrollees’ package that a PHC can offer to client.
Also, synergy between service providers and ward development committees is poor due to weak communication and information dissemination between both stakeholders.
Rukkaya Bala Ibrahim, the Officer in Charge (OIC) of Kofar Fada PHC in Azare said, “Most times all effort to enlighten enrollees on how much services a PHC can render becomes futile and it tends to bring frosty relationship between clients and service providers. There are services that are clearly beyond our capacity and we have refer them to a secondary facility”.
Another challenge tabled by enrollees during the town hall meeting was inadequate supply of drugs at the facility, which leads to clients using out of pocket expenses to purchase drugs.
At the end of both meetings held in Katagum and Misau LGAs, the Executive Secretary of BASHCMA, Dr. Mansur Mustapha Dada expressed his delight at the outcome of the engagement saying that the meeting has given the Agency an insight into stakeholders concerns.
He assured that the Agency will address the identified gaps with a view to improving implementation of the Scheme in the state.
Dr. Dada also thanked USAID-IHP for supporting the commencement of the maiden edition of the Town Hall Meetings, targeting one LGA each from the three geopolitical zones of the State, adding that BASHCMA will implement it in the remaining 17 LGAs.
Our correspondent reports that Bauchi LGA will witness its share of the Town Hall meeting comes Tuesday 25th July, 2023.