Ten out of eleven National Assembly members from Plateau refuses to buy premium for their constituents.- Dr. Fabong

Ten out of eleven National Assembly members from Plateau refuses to buy premium for their constituents.- Dr. Fabong 

The Director General Plateau State Contributory 

Healthcare Management Agency, Dr. Jimchang Fabong Yildam, stated that ten out of eleven National Assembly members from Plateau State in the National Assembly refuses to buy premium for their constituents despite all the agency's effects towards that. 

Dr. Fabong  made the disclosure recently at Crest Hotel Jos, Plateau State capital during an interface with various media organizations on securing community sustainability towards ensuring effective healthcare services.

Dr. Yildam stated that among all the eleven National Assembly in both the Red and Green Chambers of the National Assembly, it is only the Deputy Speaker House of Representative Rt. Hon. Idris Maje Wase heard to its plea  to bought premium for his constituents. 

Furthermore, Dr. Fabong in his disclosure stated that Plateau State Contributory Healthcare management Agency (PLASCHEMA)  has enrolled about 34,385 health insurance beneficiaries into the scheme since the agency kick start it’s operation two years ago.

The director general of PLASCHEMA, Dr. Fabong Jemchang said the agency has  achieved a tremendous success and they are determine to do more.

He said media has a role to play in achieving universal healthcare coverage in Plateau and Nigeria as a whole.

According to him, “the agency has been engaging stakeholders to secure community sustainability for universal health coverage and media will help to defused tension when it comes to Government policy to strengthen community participation and community sustainability.”

The DG revealed that the agency has developed various programmes to cover different segments of the society which includes; equity health plan, formal health plan, the informal health plan and private health plan respectively.

He said poverty magnifies the need for healthcare while shrinking the capability to finance it. Noting that” there is a serious burden of disease on the Plateau.

He said instead of paying N40,000 the agency decided to slice the amount of premium package to N12,000 which served as incentive irrespective of financial status of an individual.

He expressed concern over the attitude of government elected officials and appointees towards the scheme as they refused to secure premium package for health insurance services to the masses that is very cheap despite several engagement with them.

The DG also acknowledged and appreciate other notable individuals who bought premium to their people as follow: Bitrus Nabasu, late statistician general of the Federation and chief executive of the National Bureau of statistics (NBS) Simon Harry and two APC gubernatorial aspirant Dr. Patrick Sunday Dakum and Sunday Garba Biggs were been able to secure premium package for their people.

He said the agency has about 375 state work across the 17 LGA, stressing that rural communities have benefited from the scheme more than urban dwellers.

However, participants at the interactive session charged PLASCHEMA to create jungles in local dialects to help casket the message about the activities of the agency down to the communities.