Kano healthcare insurance scheme expands to cover hypertensive, HIV and TB patients as well as correctional centre inmates

The Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency has enrolled thousands of vulnerable residents, including hypertensive and HIV patients as well as inmates in correctional centres, into the state’s healthcare insurance programme in a major push to improve access to medical services.

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The Executive Secretary of the agency, Rahila Aliyu-Mukhtar, disclosed the development during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Kano.

Rahila Aliyu-Mukhtar said more than 6,000 vulnerable residents suffering from hypertension had been enrolled under the Kano healthcare insurance scheme, enabling them to access medications and medical investigations that many could not previously afford.

According to her, the intervention has already contributed to a reduction in complications linked to hypertension across the state.

“We received a nationally generated report indicating that Kano State has reduced complications arising from hypertension,” she said.

“This can be attributed to the hypertensive patients we enrolled under the scheme.”

The executive secretary also disclosed that more than 6,000 people living with HIV had been enrolled in the programme to ensure broader healthcare support beyond donor-funded antiretroviral treatment.

Rahila Aliyu-Mukhtar explained that many beneficiaries still require treatment for other illnesses, including malaria, typhoid, diabetes and hypertension, despite receiving HIV medications through international support programmes.

She further revealed that the agency had concluded plans to enrol an additional 6,000 tuberculosis patients into the vulnerable group category of the healthcare insurance initiative.

“We realised that TB patients also need support beyond their TB medications because secondary health conditions may arise,” she said.

In what officials described as a pioneering move, the agency also enrolled inmates across correctional centres in Kano State into the insurance programme, a development Rahila Aliyu-Mukhtar said was the first initiative of its kind in Nigeria.

The initiative reportedly earned commendation from the Controller-General of Corrections, while several states have contacted Kano authorities to study the implementation model adopted under the programme.

The Kano healthcare insurance scheme forms part of broader efforts by the state government to reduce out-of-pocket medical spending and improve healthcare access for vulnerable populations.

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Healthcare stakeholders have described the programme as a potentially transformative step towards strengthening social protection and expanding healthcare coverage in northern Nigeria.