Reporter’s diary: GoHealth beneficiaries laud Gombe Gov over Cohort-3 enrolment
Chima Azubuike, writes about GoHealth cohort-3 enrolment, expectations and progress.
Some residents of Gombe State have lauded Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, for the support given to the Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, adding that it would ensure Universal Health Coverage.
Our correspondent reports that the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals 3, geared towards providing access to needed services without beneficiaries suffering financial hardship.
GoHealth has formal sector programme, which takes care of the needs of those who are in formal employment, be it government or private employment. Secondly, its also has informal sector programme that takes care of artisans, businessmen and other groups of informal sector workers.
The third programme is what is called the equity programme, for the indigent population or the poorest of the poor including Persons With Disabilities, where the government has earmarked 1 per cent of its consolidated revenue and that of the LGAs as an equity fund, so as to take care of the medical needs of the poor and vulnerable.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA visited Town maternity, also known as Gidan magani, Tudunwada, and Pantami Primary Health Care Centres when 2023 enrolment (Cohort-3) commenced on the 26th of July.
25-year-old Amina Ahmed, who came to revalidate her enrolment at Pantami PHCC, is not new to the processes, she disclosed to our correspondent how she has enjoyed medical support, adding that she has immensely benefitted from the initiative despite being poor and vulnerable.
She said, “We are very grateful to the state government for this opportunity. Already I’m pregnant. I registered last two years I’m here to revalidate.”
Narrating her experience she disclosed that last three months she had miscarriage, “I got treatment in this facility I was not made to pay anything, I got drugs free,” she added.
More tales of medical rejuvenation
At Town maternity, Julian Batangu, noted that she came to be part of the cohort-3 following testaments from indigent beneficiaries, adding that “I’m here to register for my GoHealth card. I heard that the state government is helping people consisting of Persons With Disabilities, pregnant women, elderly. I’m here to register as a pregnant woman. This is my first time, I heard that those that benefitted earlier enjoyed the services.”
Batangu while lauding the management disclosed that its timely especially now that there is economic downturn, “This opportunity came handy especially now that people are suffering. I heard that about 400 people benefitted from this ward, we pray government increases it so that many poor and vulnerable people can be enrolled,” she noted.
On his part, Alhaji Hassan Aminu, Ward Development Committee, Dawaki Ward Gidan magani, lauded the initiative saying that it would ensure promotion of health especially among poor and vulnerable.
“This is a very good system by the governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, we are calling on the people of Dawaki to come and register. It’s a golden opportunity that we have. Sincerely speaking we want to convey our appreciation to the state government,” he said.
The WDC Chairman urged authorities to increase enrolment, adding “We are calling on the state government to increase the number of beneficiaries because this is the third year, we did it 2021, 2022 and this is 2023. People are becoming more aware, we are are having an increase of the clients. We are calling on the government to increase the number of beneficiaries.”
Also, Zayat Mohammed, GoHealth enrolment officer at Gidan magani, told our correspondent that they enrolled 468 for the previous year. “We are hoping to enroll more than that this year inshallah. We are hoping that those that would be enrolled will have good service,” Mohammed said.
When our correspondent arrived Tundunwada PHCC, Dahiru Usman Abubakar, Community Development Officer Gombe LGA, said, “actually the work has been going on satisfactorily. Everyone will be enrolled by God’s grace because it’s going smoothly.”
He urged the beneficiaries to be patient, stressing that “they must be patient with government, government will enroll everyone. Everything is done step by step.”
GoHealth enrolled no fewer than 35,000 in 2022 statewide – Official
Musa Gidado Birri, Director of ICT GoHealth, who was the focal person at Tundunwada PHCC said, “we are conducting enrolment process for the people under the basic healthcare provision fund. Last year we enrolled over 35,000 people statewide.
“We enrolled over 1000 in this ward (in 2022) but we are targeting about 2000 this time around in Tundunwada PHC.”
Lamenting the challenges faced in the enrolment Birri disclosed that failure of beneficiaries to come with National Identification Number as a major issue, adding that “it’s a unique identity number which is mandatory in our system for beneficiaries to come with NIN, phone number, date of birth. As you can see many of them are enthusiastic to be enrolled. The people should be orderly because that is the promise of the people to provide the people with basic healthcare in order to achieve the Universal Health Coverage.”
More success stories as WDC, partner Village Heads to sensitise Pantami residents on access to medical services
Sabo Abdullahi, WDC Secretary Pantami ward said they had carried out sensitisation across the communities urging the poor and vulnerable to enroll.
“I followed all our village heads to make contact where we told them about the importance of this enrolment. We also mobilised through our mosques to make announcements for people to come out. We had many of them visit for the enrolment. Those without NIN were asked to go back to go and collect it,” he added.
Also speaking, Ahmed Bello, GoHealth focal person Pantami PHCC, in Pantami ward, Gombe LGA, noted that in 2022 no fewer than 2,300 beneficiaries were enrolled in the ward.
He said, “We had 2,300 in this facility enrolled but for this year, we hope to enroll as much as we can.”
While urging residents to take advantage of the enrolment process, he added, “they have been cooperating with us and the process has been peaceful.”
