DG PLASCHEMA Calls on Public-Spirited Individuals and Lawmakers to Buy Premiums for the Less Privileged as Enrollment Figures Surpass 230,000 Across Plateau State

The Director-General of the Plateau State Contributory Health Management Agency (PLASCHEMA), Dr. Kwande Dawal, has called on public-spirited individuals, philanthropists, and persons of goodwill to purchase health insurance premiums for less privileged persons across the state. He noted that the agency has so far enrolled over 230,000 beneficiaries who are currently benefiting from the health insurance scheme.

Dr. Dawal made this known while speaking to a group of journalists on the sidelines of an ongoing training organized for the agency’s staff, held from 16th to 18th September 2025 at Crest Hotel, Jos.

“Yes, we are already engaging legislators and philanthropic individuals within our communities to get their buy-in. When they do, they can procure premiums for the poor and vulnerable and also contribute to the Equity Health Fund, which will help cover more enrollees,” he said.

He further disclosed that the agency is advocating for community-based health insurance and is also pushing for an executive order to operationalize mandatory health insurance in the state.

“We are also pushing for an executive order to operationalize mandatory health insurance in Plateau State. Once that comes into effect, and with the support of community leaders, legislators, and philanthropists, we can expand enrollment significantly.”

“Beyond individual enrollments, we are moving towards community-based health insurance. We have already designed the policy and operational framework. Once it is approved, implementation will be driven down to communities, where people will contribute collectively and manage their own health insurance under the supervision of the agency,” he added.

Speaking on the importance of the training, Dr. Dawal highlighted key areas where the program will improve the agency’s operations across the state:

“First, to have an interface with staff so we can communicate our vision and new policy direction, ensuring we all work together to deliver on the mandate of achieving universal health coverage in Plateau State.”

“The second goal is to train staff on key operational aspects of PLASCHEMA. We run a state social health insurance scheme with over 320,000 beneficiaries already enrolled, and many more individuals and organizations have shown interest. So it’s important to ensure our staff are well-trained on the principles of health insurance, how to support enrollees in accessing quality care, and how to respond to queries from both current and prospective enrollees. Once this is done, staff will be better equipped to respond effectively and efficiently to the health aspirations of the Plateau people.”

Earlier in his presentation, Dr. Dawal also emphasized the significance of the training for the workforce, the upcoming automation of the agency’s operations, and the onboarding of community pharmacies to enhance service delivery.

“As I mentioned, we are strengthening our local government offices. PLASCHEMA is not just in the state capital—we have offices across all 17 local governments. Beyond this large-scale training, we will continue with both formal and informal trainings for our officers and even our enrollees at the facilities, so they can help ensure beneficiaries are not shortchanged when accessing care.”

“Secondly, we are working on automating our processes. With automation, the agency will be able to monitor transactions at the facilities in real time, making it easier to tackle poor quality of care.”

“Thirdly, we are advancing plans to establish community pharmacies. We will begin with a pilot project in Jos and later replicate it across the 17 local governments. This means that when enrollees go to a facility and don’t get the required drugs, they can go to our accredited community pharmacies and access the medicines. In fact, as a short-term measure, we have already accredited community pharmacists who can meet the needs of enrollees at this time. Essentially, we are going to engage more, monitor more, and advise more to ensure beneficiaries get the quality healthcare services they deserve.”

Dr. Dawal called on the general public to enroll and also consider purchasing health insurance premiums for the less privileged.

“PLASCHEMA belongs to all of us. It’s a social safety net created by the Plateau State Government to ensure access to healthcare for everyone. I encourage people to enroll, and for those who can afford it, to gift health insurance premiums to someone in their neighborhood. We are convinced that only a healthy population can contribute to the social, economic, and political development of Plateau State.”

Also speaking at the event, the Director of Health Services, Standards, and Quality Control at PLASCHEMA, Pharm. Danladi Wuyep, gave a presentation on the agency’s efforts to ensure beneficiaries receive quality healthcare services. He noted that the agency conducts regular inspections of healthcare facilities to ensure they meet the required standards.

Some of the participants at the training expressed satisfaction with the program and stated they are confident that their work output will improve going forward.