Femi Mustapha
Director-General of the Kaduna State Contributory Health management Authority (KADCHMA), Mr Abubakar Hassan, has tasked religious leaders to support the state government’s drive to provide quality and affordable health care to residents of the state.
He gave the charge while fielding questions from journalists at his office in Kaduna.
The DG said, religious leaders play a crucial role in sensitizing members of the public on the need to enrol for the state’s health insurance and take advantage of its benefits, considering the economic health situation of the country and the unexpected health crises that arises.
He, therefore, urged religious leaders to rally their members to be insured, which will assist them to spend less in accessing healthcare services, noting that the scheme is designed to accommodate different classes of people in the society in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage in the State.
According to him, KADCHMA is
Mapping out a renewed focus and energy in terms of reviewing their strategies in the last few years from inception till date with respect to penetrating into the informal sector.
He explained that informal sector include organized private sector, as well as, private individuals who need to enrol into the Scheme, noting” We cannot over emphasize the role of the faith based organization”
Hassan stressed the role of the faith based organizations, saying, religion plays a very key role in stimulating acceptance and conveyance of information that people tend to follow.
He added that Nigeria is a religious country, so it is key that messages that affect the people impact on even on their level of compliance with religion.
Mr Abubakar Hassan, however, said, without good health one cannot practice religion, so it is important to take this message to religious institutions, faith based organization, religious leaders who are strong shapers of opinion in the community.
“Our message from KADCHMA is good health for the residents of Kaduna and, we have started the process of ensuring that we carry religious leaders/institutions along, with the first meeting we had with the CAN and the JNI which are two umbrellas that guide religious activities of people or residents of Kaduna State.
” It is a ground laying foundation meeting and in subsequent meetings we should be able to come up with actionable plans around how long it will take us to ensure that we really achieve this.
“Religion is the opium of the masses, so once you hear, it becomes part and parcel, of behaviour, so is like getting people to understand that their health is important to them.”
