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From Gyang Bere, Jos
Indigent citizens of Plateau State have applauded Governor Simon Lalong for the establishment of Plateau State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) to provide accessible and affordable healthcare services for rural dwellers.
The citizens who narrated their experiences on Friday in Jos at the domestic resource mobilization parley held at Chrispan hotel Jos, said most citizens of Plateau State have passes through severe pains that perished their lives due to lack of resources to buy drugs and other medications.
Nabasu Isa Bako, a resident of Jingre in Bassa Local Government Area and a student expressed delight for being part of the health scheme which has made life more easier to him.
“I came to this hospital in Jingre, I was suffering with malaria and I was attended to. I am a beneficiary from Yusuf Bako Nabasu and it wasn’t long that I graduated. I only paid 10 percent of the medical bill; it was N3000 but I paid only N300.
“I appreciated the Governor for initiating the scheme and thank Yusuf Nabasu for given us the slot. My children were admitted with my wife and I thought the bill would be up to N50,000 but we only paid N10,000. This is one of the way to make life easier for the common man.” He stated.
Dang Linda, a Civil Servant with the Plateau State Government said she was full of gratitude when the news for the establishment of the health agency became a reality.
Linda said she has being spending huge sum of money during birth since since she was diagnosed with fibroid.
“I was six months pregnant and I was diagnosed with fibroid, which means o can’t give birth on my own. I have to go through CS knowing how expensive it is and this is not something that I have planned for.
“But to God be the glory, because of PLASCHEMA, I did not spend much. Ideally, private hospital charged like N180,000 to N200,000 for CS but I only paid N10,000 which is the 10 percent of the total bill issued to me. This was possible because I enrolled with the Plateau State Social Health Insurance Scheme.”
She encouraged Civil Servants in the state who have not keyed into the scheme to do so as it provide them the basis of accessing affordable health care services.
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, represented by Secretary to Government of the Federation, Prof. Danladi Atu said the health scheme was initiated to improve on the living condition of citizens.
“It is our hope that the citizens of Plateau State will avail themselves of this unique opportunity to enroll and gain access to quality healthcare. This scheme is open to all Plateau residents in the formal and informal sectors together with their families.”
He urged wealthy individuals in the society to enroll the less privilege families into the scheme as their way of extending succour through accessing quality and affordable healthcare services to enable the state attain universal health coverage.
Personalities who grace the occasion pledged to contribute towards providing affordable healthcare services for the less privilege in Plateau includes, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, Hon. Beni Lar, Plateau State Executive Council, ALGON among several organizations and individuals.
