The Plateau State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) has begun the distribution of health care enrollee cards to civil servants in the state.
The Director-General of the agency, Dr Fabong Jemchang, presided over the distribution of the cards on Thursday in Jos.
Jemchang said that the process of enrollment into the State Social Health Insurance Scheme services, was seamless and encouraged more civil servants to enroll in the scheme.
He said that with the card, the beneficiaries could now visit their health facilities to start accessing the services.
He said that 32,500 persons had been enrolled in the basic health care provision fund, while a 180,000 persons had been enrolled in the informal sector.
The director-general further said that 15,803 persons had also been enrolled in the formal sector.
He stressed that the State Government had demonstrated massive social responsibility by paying its own share of its premium and called on the citizens to pay their own share of their premium.
Jemchang said that the scheme was here to stop the out-of-pocket expenditure of the citizens in accessing health care services.
He said that the agency had a target of getting over 50 per cent of the state’s population in the next five years.
According to him, the scheme is not optional but mandatory for every resident in the state.
Mrs Ruth Mutfuang, a staff of Plateau Specialist Hospital, who received the card, said that the scheme would enable public servants to access health care services without spending from their pockets.
Our correspondent reports that the agency commenced the distribution of cards to enrollees in the informal sector in April.
Our correspondent also reports that the agency commenced operation in September 2019.