The Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, has approved free medical treatment for all retired state and local government workers in the state.
The initiative, according to the state government, is aimed at easing the burden of accessing healthcare faced by retirees, particularly as they grow older.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Dr Babagana Tijjani, disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television.
Tijjani said about 20,000 retirees had been enrolled as the first phase of the programme, adding that the exercise was ongoing across the 17 local government areas of the state.
He said the initiative was part of the governor’s efforts to support vulnerable residents and improve access to healthcare.
“As part of Governor Buni’s equity programme for the vulnerable individuals, he has approved the enrollment of all retired state and local government employees to enjoy free medical treatment without paying a single kobo.
“The exercise is currently taking place across the 17 local government areas of the state,” he said.
The executive secretary also disclosed that 45,000 state and local government civil servants had been enrolled in the formal sector programme over the past seven years.
Under the scheme, workers contribute 1.75 per cent of their monthly salaries, while the state government contributes 3.25 per cent.
“We have also enrolled 45,000 State and Local Government Civil Servants into the formal sector programme, which a civil servant contributes only 1.75 per cent of his total salary while the state government contributes 3.25 per cent,” Tijjani said.
He, however, explained that the number of active workers currently reflected on the agency’s dashboard was lower than the total number initially enrolled.
“The total number of workers on the enrollment is around 45,000, as said, but on the dashboard is around 35,000 because some have left the service of the state, others died, and others retired,” he said.
Tijjani also acknowledged that the increasing number of people enrolled in the state’s healthcare programme had created some challenges for healthcare providers.
According to him, the growing number of enrollees sometimes makes it difficult for health facilities to meet the needs of all beneficiaries.
He, however, assured residents that the government was working to improve healthcare services and ensure that beneficiaries could access the required treatment in healthcare facilities across the state.
