Maternal, child healthcare - The Emir of Dass in Bauchi State, Alhaji Usman Othman has attributed the improvements recorded in maternal and child health care in the state to the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS.
Othman spoke yesterday, in Bauchi when members of the enligthment committee on NHIS led by it's Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Sale, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace.
The Emir said: " Women's patronage of health facilities in the state has increased in recent times because they now troop to hospitals and clinics to access health care services now available through the NHIS at affordable rates.
Cases of maternal and infant mortality is also reducing as pregnant women who usually delivered at home with the support of traditional birth attendants now seek professional assistance in government health facilities."
The Emir urged the state government to extend the NHIS scheme from urban to the rural communities where majority of the people reside, adding that such a move would enable nursing mothers to deliver with ease and reduce complications associated with conveying pregnant women to urban areas.
Earlier,while briefing the Emir about the committee's assignment, Alhaji Sale said about 70,000 civil servants had been accessing the NHIS facilty in the state, hence the development had assisted in preventing outbreaks of epidemics.
Sale said: "The state govermnet set up the committee on NHIS eligthenment so that most rural communities which are yet to benefit from the scheme would have access to affordable medical services.
"For the scheme to effectively achieve it's goals, traditional rulers must mobilize their subjects so that the people can be educated at the grassroots."
He then asked traditional rulers in the state to educate their subjects on the benefits of NHIS which he added had so far gulped about N800 million.
By Suzan Edeh
Vanguard/12/03/2013