Kano health insurance scheme grows by 87.6% in two years

Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency said it has recorded a major expansion in health insurance coverage, growing enrolment from 497,262 lives in 2023 to 933,014 in 2025, an increase of 87.6 per cent within two years.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Rahila Muktar, disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Kano to mark the 2025 Universal Health Coverage Day.

Muktar said the achievement showed the state government’s commitment to providing affordable and quality healthcare services to the residents through the Kano State Contributory Health Scheme.

She said the 2025 UHC theme, ‘Unaffordable Health Costs: We Are Sick of It!’, resonated strongly with the agency’s mandate to protect families from catastrophic health spending.

“I stand before you not just to commemorate this day, but to present a robust account of progress, hope and tangible results achieved under the visionary leadership of Governor Abba  Yusuf and the guidance of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran,” she said.

According to her, KSCHMA was established by Law No. 3 of 2016 to provide a sustainable healthcare financing mechanism through pooled contributions, donations and taxes to meet residents’ healthcare needs as defined by the benefit package.

She explained that the scheme’s objectives include ensuring access to affordable, high-quality healthcare, promoting equity, controlling healthcare inflation, maintaining service standards and improving efficiency in service delivery.

Muktar said since assuming office in June 2023, the agency had prioritised aggressive enrolment expansion and financial protection for residents in line with the state’s social welfare agenda.

“Our mandate has been clear: to expand access to quality healthcare and make healthcare a right, not a privilege. Universal Health Coverage remains the umbrella goal for global health development, and inclusion is at its core,” she said.

Breaking down the enrolment figures, Muktar said the state-funded Vulnerable Group Programme recorded a 935 per cent increase, rising from 4,903 to 50,745 beneficiaries, with support from the Kano State Health Trust Fund.

“This ensures that pregnant women, children under five, persons living with disabilities and those with chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease and HIV can access care with dignity,” she said.

She added that enrolment under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund grew by 215 per cent, from 108,664 to 342,515, strengthening access to primary healthcare services.

In the formal sector, the agency recorded a 40 per cent increase, bringing enrolment to 537,914 individuals, while the informal sector witnessed a growth of over 1,143 per cent, from 148 to 1,840 enrollees.

Muktar said the expanded coverage currently supports 145,723 pregnant women, 124,802 children under five, 46,512 persons living with disabilities, 31,003 persons with chronic medical conditions, 29,473 people living with HIV, 3,609 inmates in correctional centres and 8,053 others with conditions such as fistula, hypertension and spinal cord injuries.

She said the agency had strengthened collaboration with key stakeholders, including the State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Hospitals Management Board, Private Institutions Management Agency, DMCSA, Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Kano Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as development partners.

The executive secretary said KSCHMA was also targeting 39,000 indigent sickle cell patients, some of whom were already accessing care at specialist hospitals under the Abba Care Programme.

She added that the agency had introduced a Zakat and Waqf Programme to support vulnerable groups in line with Islamic ethical financing principles, alongside expanded healthcare coverage for inmates under the state’s vulnerable programme.

Muktar said the agency had upgraded its call centre to improve response time to enrollees’ complaints and digitised service utilisation at primary healthcare centres to enhance transparency, accountability and data-driven decision-making.

She also said more than 1,000 healthcare providers across 614 empanelled facilities had been trained, while a phone-based feedback survey was piloted among vulnerable beneficiaries in selected local government areas under the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction Innovation and Initiatives (MAMII) project.

According to her, activities to mark the 2025 UHC Day in Kano include the distribution of items to vulnerable groups and the launch of informal sector enrolment across the state.

NAN