Gombe health scheme encourages NIN
Beneficiaries have been encouraged to obtain National Identification Number (NIN), in Gombe State to benefit from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCFP).
According to an official of Gombe State Healthcare Contributory Management Agency Umar Wanda, the number would enhance service and discourage multiple registration.
Our correspondent reports that the Agency has been touring Local Government Areas sensitising beneficiaries in order to include additional 15,000 and revalidate the existing 25,000 poor and vulnerable.
Wanda made this disclosure during the team’s courtesy visit to the Emir of Deba, Alh. Ahmad Mohammed, where the Agency alongside implementation partners sought for the support of the Palace.
He explained, “The National Identification Number gives each and every person a unique number and no body bears the number. It prevents duplication of registration and it gives bio data of the individual. It will help us in enrolment process to compare with what is obtained from an enrollee. In future, if one travels the NIN can be use to track or trace him.”
Commenting on possible challenges faced by rural dwellers in registering for NIN, the Operations official said the agency would leverage on its collaboration to ensure a smoother exercise.
“In each local government there are desk officers of NIN. The officials will liaise with them to go round their locality to ensure they are enrolled.
“We are going round each of the 114 wards to ensure that the 25,000 people are still alive and are domiciled where they were registered. So that we can now do the vetting to give room for an additional 15,000 the number the governor has approved for another phase,” Wanda added.
Also, Emir of Deba Mohammed lauded the healthcare scheme, adding that dweller would be encouraged to obtain their NIN.
He remarked that no one should lose the chance of getting enrolled, stressing that it would be good to get registered in order to benefit from numerous advantages of being captured.
Mohammed said, “GoHealth is a welcome development to the community because the community members are not so buoyant. If you don’t plan you may not have healthcare delivery close to the community. This singular act of providing or creating Gohealth will assist very much in giving the populace the healthcare they deserve within limited resources that they have. So, it a welcome development.”
The Emir continued adding, “With or without Gohealth programme, everyone is supposed to have NIN therefore I don’t see any problem in Linking the vision of the service with the NIN. If you don’t do it now you must do it later. They should embrace the programme because it is very healthy and one that will alleviate their sufferings in healthcare delivery. I’m also a beneficiary of Gohealth.”
On his part, Chairman of Saif Advocacy Foundation Alhassan Yahya said NIN would ensure double registration was mitigated.
He said, “For the record of the agency; for instance someone who was captured in a facility he will be traced to the point of his registration. The NIN is good because it is expected by the federal government and at the state level we have to adapt that together we can improve not just our health but our security.”
