31/07/2026
PLASCHEMA Inaugurates Task Team to Expand Community Health Insurance Across Plateau
The Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) has inaugurated a task team to drive the implementation of its Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) Scheme across Plateau State.
The committee was inaugurated on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, during a one-day CBHI workshop held at the PLASCHEMA headquarters in Gada-Biu, Jos.
The initiative is part of the Expanded Mutfwang Care programme and is aimed at improving access to healthcare for people in rural communities and those working in the informal sector.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of PLASCHEMA, Dr. Kwande Solomon Dawal, described the initiative as an important step towards increasing health insurance coverage and improving healthcare for poor and vulnerable residents.
Dawal said the task team would provide oversight, monitor the implementation of the scheme, promote accountability and ensure that decisions are based on evidence.
He explained that the committee brings together representatives from government agencies, development partners, professional bodies, civil society organisations, religious and traditional institutions, among others.
According to him, the committee will serve an initial one-year term, subject to review, while the pilot phase of the scheme will begin in selected wards and run for three to six months before possible expansion across the state.
Dawal said the CBHI model was designed to reflect the realities of Plateau communities, particularly as more than 75 percent of the state's population operates in the informal sector, where irregular incomes can make regular health insurance payments difficult.
He said the scheme would work with traditional institutions, ward development structures, community associations and other grassroots organisations to encourage local participation and ownership.
The PLASCHEMA DG disclosed that the state's health insurance coverage currently stands at about 10.8 percent, despite progress made through programmes covering formal and informal sector workers, vulnerable groups and tertiary students.
In his goodwill message, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, described the initiative as a major development in the state's healthcare reform efforts.
Ba’amlong said health insurance enrollment had increased from fewer than 100,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to nearly 350,000 under the current administration.
He expressed optimism that enrollment could reach 500,000 by next year and eventually approach one million through the CBHI scheme.
Also speaking, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at PLASCHEMA and convener of the workshop, Dr. Julfa Jude Nden, said assessments conducted by the agency showed that participating health facilities were ready for the programme.
Nden added that about 97 percent of respondents surveyed expressed support for the scheme if it is implemented in their communities.
The workshop brought together representatives of government agencies, health institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions and community groups.
Stakeholders at the event called for continuous community sensitisation, stronger financial accountability, better coordination between healthcare facilities and increased involvement of traditional institutions, women, youth groups, community associations and diaspora organisations to boost enrollment and support the achievement of Universal Health Coverage in Plateau State.
Plaschema - Plateau State Contributory Health Care Management Agency
