1 The Nigerian Pensioners Union (PIN) Kaduna State Chapter on Monday commended the state government for providing health insurance coverage to the state’s more than 16,000 retirees.
2 The union secretary, Alhaji Alhassan Moussapraised during an interview with the Nigeria News Agency in Kaduna.
3 Musa described the development as “very thoughtful”, adding that with the insurance cover, pensioners would no longer spend all their monthly allowances on medical expenses.
4 He explained that under the arrangement, retirees would only be required to pay 3% of their monthly pension, while the government would cover the remaining 97% of healthcare costs.
5 He said the pensioners health insurance scheme was introduced by the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) in conjunction with the Kaduna State Pensions Office.
6 “This is a good development for all of the state’s retirees and we wholeheartedly welcome it as another strategy for caring for the state’s elderly population,” he said.
seven The secretary said that the union had, however, requested that retirees be enrolled in secondary health facilities or any health facility of their choice.
8 “This is because the main ailments of the elderly are diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, vision problems and prostate, among others.
9 “These are diseases that are best managed in secondary or tertiary health facilities,” he said.
ten For his part, KADCHMA Director General Malam Abubakar Hassan said the measure would ease the burden of healthcare expenses on state pensioners.
11 Hassan explained that the initiative is part of KADCHMA’s efforts to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on health services in line with universal health coverage goals.
12 He urged the private sector to take advantage of the health insurance scheme and enroll their families for affordable health services without putting them at financial risk.
13 Likewise, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Pensions Office, Prof. Salamatou Isahsaid the insurance scheme would allow retirees to spend their meager earnings on other basic needs.
14 “This, in the long run, will improve the quality of their lives,” she added.
15 NewsSourceCredit: NOPE
