DSCHC, Committed To Providing Healthcare For All – Dr Nkechika

By Jonathan Onwuka

The significant mandate of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission is to ensure access to quality and affordable healthcare service for all residents of Delta State irrespective of their socio-economic status or geopolitical location.

Over the last six years there are remarkable improvements in the quality of service received by enrollees in the programme as the Commission has in place a mechanism for proper monitoring and evaluation of the programme with the introduction of a dynamic ICT platform that ensures seamless process of registration and patient support.

Dr. Ben Nkechika, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission has assured that ‘the Delta State Contributory Health Commission is committed to drive the State towards achieving universal health coverage in line with the United Nations mandate of “Health for All” by the year 2030.

The DG/CEO, explained that an ‘Indigent Support Programme,’ has been set up, in which extensive advocacy is done to ‘philanthropist and corporate organizations to contribute money to a pool of funds that will be used to support the poor and the indigent residents of Delta State to ensure no one is left behind in the Delta State Contributory Health Scheme.

The Delta State Contributory Health Scheme has the highest number of enrollee in Nigeria, with over One million enrollees and counting.

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The commission intends to increase this figure for by taking the message to the rural communities through its strategic partnership with various groups and associations.

As part of efforts towards enhancing its advocacy and sensitization activities, the Delta State Contributory Health Commission has entered into a strategic partnership with the Market Men and Women Association of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, in which members of the association will be trained and branded to be advocates of the health insurance program across all the Markets in Delta State. The target is to get more than one thousand persons from each local government to enroll into the Health Insurance Scheme.

According to the DG/CEO of the Commission, Dr. Ben Nkechika, the commission intends to leverage on this partnership to mobilize, advocate and sensitize the people on the benefits, efficiency and accessibility of the health insurance program in the state.

He explained that this strategic partnership will ensure that the health insurance scheme advocacy gets to the grassroots, while stating that “Health Insurance should not be optional’ but compulsory for all”.

The DG said that funds would be collected and invested to multiply the pool of funds and also suggested making a credible financial pool that will attract the private sector and investors.

Health insurance is aimed at bridging finance gap so that the low income earners, the
poor and vulnerable in society, no matter where they live or their socioeconomic status, can have access to quality healthcare at their locality through a mechanism and financial system-ability for the achievement of the long-term vision of expanding Health Insurance coverage in Delta State.

Dr Nkechika assured that, with continued engagement of stakeholders and partners in the healthcare sector, the Delta State Contributory Health Commission, will achieve its mandate of bringing health insurance scheme closer to the people, so that the people will know that Universal Health Coverage is the way to go.