The Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority says it will enroll 16,000 pensioners in the state into its health insurance scheme.

The Director-General of the authority, Abubakar Hassan, said this during an engagement meeting with the state chapter of the Union of Pensioners on Monday in Kaduna.

Hassan said the pensioners would be captured into the scheme as soon as the sensitisation exercise was completed.

“We are here today to engage the union of pensioners and to sensitise them on our mandate as an agency before commencing the enrollment process.

“This is important because they are our critical group and government wants to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses for them to benefit.

“We have over 150 of the pensioners seated here today and we will use them as ambassadors for grassroots sensitisation.

READ ALSO: Catholic Church confirms abduction of priest in Kaduna

“Our mission is to provide sustainable, quality and affordable health care services with financial risk protection to residents of the state,” he said.

The director-general said the scheme would map out modalities to ensure that every resident of the state had access to quality and affordable health care services.

“We want to ensure that all residents have financial protection from the financial hardship of huge medical bills and limit the rise in the cost of health care services.

“We also want to ensure that the poor and vulnerable shall be guaranteed basic minimum package as defined under the National Health Act,’’ Hassan stated.

He added that the scheme would ensure equitable distribution of health care costs across different income groups.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the union in the state, Aboman Ladan, commended the efforts of the health scheme towards ensuring the realisation of the enrollment of pensioners.

“With this enrollment, all pensioners under the health scheme will be relieved of huge medical bills and will have every reason to smile because accessing health services will be cheaper.

He assured them of the pensioners’ readiness to join the scheme.

TheStar