During a public health promotion event on Monday, Dr. Agabus Manasseh, Director General of the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, shared that the number of citizens enrolled in the contributory healthcare scheme had risen to 277,862.
Manasseh highlighted that the formal sector had the highest enrollment at 124,278 individuals, whereas the informal sector had the lowest at 8,342 enrollees.
He stated, “The government is determined more than ever to eliminate the healthcare barriers usually encountered by people within the vulnerable groups (the equity plan) and the informal sector, which constitutes over 70 per cent of the population in the hard-to-reach areas, hence the establishment of the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, PLASCHEMA.
“With increased Government spending on health, we envision a significantly healthy population with enormous economic benefits, thereby underscoring the saying that health is wealth.
“The current enrolment status has risen to 277,862 from the total figure of 110,158, which was as of June 2023. Our target is to increase the figure by 20 per cent annually in line with our five-year development plan for the agency.”
Emphasizing inclusivity, the Director General clarified that the contributory healthcare program covers public sector workers from the state government, local government, and organized private sector.
Manasseh urged residents in the informal sector—such as traders, farmers, artisans, public and private primary school students, secondary school students, and tertiary institution students—to enroll in the scheme, including community-based Social Health insurance schemes, to ensure they have access to high-quality healthcare services.
He further stated, “The state governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, has demonstrated support to the agency by approving N327 million as a counterpart fund for three years. We expect N170 million and N10 million each from the 17 local government Areas as counterpart funds.
“We assure you that, as an agency, we won’t relent in our efforts to achieve better and more accessible healthcare for Plateau residents.”
