By: Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The Bauchi State Government, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has inaugurated a State Steering Committee on Actuarial Analysis to develop strategies for making healthcare more affordable, accessible, sustainable and equitable across the state.
The committee, comprising representatives of health-related agencies, was inaugurated by the State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mohammed Sani Dambam.
The inauguration followed a three-day capacity-building workshop on health financing and actuarial analysis organised with UNFPA support in collaboration with the Bauchi State Health Contributory Management Agency (BASHCMA).
Speaking at the inauguration, Dambam said the committee would strengthen healthcare financing and improve service delivery efficiency.
He charged members to develop practical strategies to expand access, particularly for people in hard-to-reach communities and other vulnerable groups, assuring them of the Ministry’s guidance and support.
Also speaking, UNFPA Sexual and Reproductive Health and Health Systems Strengthening Specialist, Dr. Oluwatosin Kolade, said the initiative would strengthen health financing and support efforts to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.
Kolade explained that the actuarial analysis would help mainstream high-impact, low-cost interventions, including family planning, into a prepayment financing mechanism through BASHCMA’s health benefit package.
In a message, UNFPA Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Muriel Mafico, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Bauchi State in achieving zero unmet need for family planning and zero maternal deaths.
Delivered by UNFPA Bauchi Sexual and Reproductive Health Analyst, Ms. Deborah Tabara, the message said the analysis would use state-level data to guide sustainable financing of the social health scheme, prioritise women, children and other vulnerable groups, and strengthen stakeholder collaboration to ensure no one is left behind.
