Yobe targets 50, 000 vulnerable residents for healthcare scheme
By Njadvara MUSA, Maiduguri
The Yobe State Government has targeted 70, 000 residents for the 2022 Expanded Free Healthcare Delivery (EFHD) scheme across the state.
Out of the total residents, 50, 000 are the vulnerable people affected by the over a decade Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property.
Unfolding the scheme, at the weekend (Friday), in Damaturu, the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mohammed Gana disclosed that the scheme aimed at harmonizing the free healthcare delivery programme to the people.
According to him, the scheme is being executed under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
“This is a free drugs revolving scheme with equity for our 50, 000 vulnerable persons affected by insurgency,” noting that they are unable to afford healthcare services at the grassroots.”
He added that the harmonizing of the health scheme could also boost efficiency of the healthcare delivery scheme.
His words: “The expanded scheme is essentially about bringing all our free health care services under an umbrella of delivering services to the people,” noting that this to avoid duplications and waste of human and capital resources.
In sustaining the scheme, he said that the state government pays 3.25% of civil servants’ medical bills under the formal sector contributory programme in 2020.
On monitoring and evaluation, he said the state was to enhance the health delivery scheme and overcome its challenges.
He lamented the rising costs of drugs and other hospital consumables in the 17 Councils.
“Intravenous fluid that we used to procure at between N50 and N60 in 2014, now costs over N300,” he said.
