By Khadija Kubau
The Emir of Zazzau Mallam Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli has pledged to enrol 100 people into the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) scheme as part of efforts to expand health insurance coverage across the 11 Local Government Areas of the Zazzau Emirate.
The Emir also directed members of the Zazzau Emirate Council to facilitate the enrolment of 10 people each, while the Sarkin Kudun Zazzau pledged to enrol 50 people under the initiative.
The pledge was made during a two-day strategic engagement organised by KADCHMA, with support from EngenderHealth Led-consortium Partners to develop a coordinated grassroots sensitisation and mobilisation strategy for health insurance across the Emirate.
The initiative seeks to leverage the traditional institution, from the Emirate Council to district, village and community leaders, to increase awareness, enrolment and renewal of health insurance, particularly among households and people working in the informal sector.
Speaking at the engagement, the Director-General of KADCHMA, Mallam Abubakar Hassan, described the initiative as a major step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage in Kaduna State.
He said the campaign would focus on clear messages, measurable enrolment targets, defined responsibilities and effective tracking mechanisms to improve health insurance coverage across the 11 LGAs.
The DG expressed appreciation to the Emir of Zazzau, the Emirate Council and EngenderHealth for their support, stressing that the ultimate goal was to protect families from financial hardship arising from healthcare costs.
Meanwhile, all district heads across the Zazzau Emirate are expected to mobilise residents within their domains for enrolment into the KADCHMA scheme as part of the grassroots strategy.
Also speaking, Garba Muhammad, Co-Chair of the Maternal Accountability Mechanism in Kaduna Initiative (KADMAM) and Chairman of the Alliance for Kaduna Accountability and Strategic Advocacy (AKASA) Network, commended the Emir for fulfilling commitments made during an earlier advocacy visit by KADMAM, AKASA and EngenderHealth Led-consortium Partners.
Muhammad recalled that the advocacy team had called for the establishment of a Zazzau Emirate Health Committee, enrolment of Emirate Council members and families into KADCHMA, and the development of a health dashboard to monitor key indicators, particularly maternal and under-five deaths.
He urged the Emirate to use the newly established health committee and traditional leadership structures to intensify mobilisation for routine immunisation, child-spacing services and antenatal care.
He reaffirmed the commitment of KADMAM and the AKASA Network to continued collaboration with the Zazzau Emirate Council, government institutions and development partners to strengthen healthcare access, accountability and Universal Health Coverage in Kaduna State.
