By Peter Akpah.

The Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) recently convened a stakeholders meeting at Sarau Event Centre in Jos, Plateau State, to discuss the baseline survey for Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI). The event brought together critical stakeholders from the health sector, including representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), and Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

The meeting aimed to discuss the baseline survey tool and develop a better framework for providing healthcare to the people of Plateau State. The Director-General of PLASCHEMA, Dr. Solomon Kwande Dakwal, emphasized that the meeting’s objective was to bring stakeholders together to discuss the baseline survey tool and develop a better framework for providing healthcare. The Plateau State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, commended PLASCHEMA for the initiative and emphasized the importance of the baseline survey in achieving tangible results.

Dr. Ba’amlong expressed his appreciation for PLASCHEMA’s efforts in implementing the contributory health insurance scheme. “This particular validation is to see how people involved in the activities of health in the state can come together, look at the tool that has been developed, and see if it’s possible to make some adjustments before administering those tools to health workers and the community.” He emphasized that the validation meeting would help address enrollment issues and increase the effectiveness of the health insurance scheme.

Dr. Ba’amlong highlighted the benefits of the health insurance scheme, stating that it would enable people to access quality healthcare without financial burden. “By the time this becomes effective, you will expect that a lot of positive health outcomes will come out of it. At the basic health level, at the primary health centers, they will be able to identify and even treat basic diseases.”

Dr. Kwande Solomon Dawal  Acting Director-General of PLASCHEMA, emphasizing the agency’s mandate to achieve universal health coverage in Plateau State. He explained that the meeting aimed to validate the tool developed for the CBHI baseline survey.

Dr. Dawal highlighted the importance of community-based health insurance in increasing healthcare coverage, particularly for those in the informal sector. “We want to move the management of health insurance from the agency back to the people in the communities. We design from them, what are those medical conditions or health conditions that are common or prevalent within the environment.”

He emphasized that the agency has developed a tool to administer to facilities and communities to assess their readiness for the community-based health insurance scheme. “Our plan is to run a pilot of this community-based health insurance in 34 state wards in Plateau State, two in each of the local governments. And then of course, we run it for three months and be able to harvest data.”

Dr. Dawal expressed his gratitude to the Governor of Plateau State for his support and commitment to improving healthcare in the state. “His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang is very, very concerned, very interested in seeing that the health outcomes of Plateau State really become something that is optimal and something that is also plausible.”

Dr. Nden Julfa Jude explained that the agency had commenced work on developing a framework for implementing the community-based health insurance program. “We developed a tool, a questionnaire that we expect will check how ready our facilities are for this activity and also how ready the community is for this community-based health insurance.” He emphasized the importance of stakeholders’ input in finalizing the tool and ensuring the success of the program.

*Conclusion*

The stakeholders meeting marked a significant step towards improving healthcare delivery in Plateau State. By engaging stakeholders and developing a robust framework for CBHI implementation, PLASCHEMA is poised to make a positive impact on the state’s healthcare system. The meeting demonstrated the agency’s commitment to achieving universal health coverage and improving healthcare outcomes for the people of Plateau State ¹.