The Niger State Contributory Health Insurance Agency (NiCare) recently held a workshop to review and update its operational guidelines in alignment with the New Niger Agenda of the current administration.
Addressing participants at Haske Luxury Hotel in Minna, the state Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Dangana, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abdullahi Usman Imam, emphasized the importance of health insurance in providing quality healthcare services. He highlighted that the state boasts approximately 2,000 healthcare facilities, with 274 supported by the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHPF). The current administration has begun upgrading 100 of these facilities to level two to enhance care services.
Dr. Dangana assured continued collaboration with NiCare and praised the Executive Secretary and his team for initiating the guideline review to align with the New Niger Agenda, which is evident across all state sectors.
NiCare’s Executive Secretary, Sulayman Abu-Bakr, explained that the review of the four-year-old guidelines was necessary to align with the New Niger Agenda and fulfill the agency’s mandate to improve livelihoods. He outlined NiCare’s 4-point agenda designed to make the agency fit-for-purpose, necessitating updated guidelines for more efficient and accountable operations.
Abu-Bakr reiterated NiCare’s vision to protect against financial hardships from medical expenses, ensuring healthcare is accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic background. He stressed that the review is crucial for NiCare to provide affordable, quality healthcare to every resident of Niger State.
“Through today’s workshop, we aim to refine our approach, aligning it with both our guiding principles and the New Niger Agenda, which prioritizes improved livelihoods for our citizens,” he stated.
He further committed to providing equitable access to a basic healthcare package, emphasizing a client-centered, accountable, and financially protective healthcare system that meets the diverse needs of the state’s population. “Our task is to ensure everyone, even in the remotest areas, has access to high-quality healthcare without financial strain,” Abu-Bakr explained.
Former commissioners of health, Dr. Mustapha Jibrin Alheri and Dr. Mohammed Mohammed Makusidi, who facilitated the agency’s establishment, expressed satisfaction with its progress. They noted that a robust health sector would positively impact other sectors and commended the ongoing transformation under Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.