By Blessing Odega
The Plateau State Contributory Healthcare management Agency (PLASCHEMA), said it has commenced the enrollment of students in tertiary institutions into the agency’s Tertiary Institutions Students Health Insurance Programme (TShip).
The enrollment will eliminate out of pocket expenditure for students, parents and the institutions.
The Director General (D-G) of PLASCHEMA, Dr Fabong Jemchang, said this on Friday in Jos, at a meeting held with the leadership of Plateau State tertiary institutions.
Jemcheng explained that the essence of the meeting was to intimate the leadership of the various state tertiary institutions on the modalities and the operational guidelines of the scheme.
According to him, the Tship premium package which cost N12,000 has been subsided by the state government to N4,000 per annum (per school session) due to the high premium it placed on the students.
The D-G explained that the students would be enrolled at the beginning of each session using the enrollment form at their medical centers.
He added that the students would be able to use their ID cards to access health care for the session and the premium would be renewed every session.
He further explained that the plan covered minor surgeries, fractures, High Blood Pressure, antenatal, malaria, Urinary Tract Infection treatment, among other illnesses.
Jemcheng said that Tship scheme would increase the health insurance uptake and safety social net cover for students.
The D-G described the state health agency as the biggest social safety net provided by the state government to eliminate out of pocket expenditure and to improve on the health indices of the people.
He called on the public, especially those who are not enrolled into the scheme, to do so, as it also serves as a means of financial protection for the enrollees.
Mr Christopher Bamka, the Student Union president, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Vom, said the scheme is a laudable one and urged students of the state tertiary institutions to enroll in the scheme.
Miss Endurance Levi, the Student Union President of the College of Agriculture, Gakawa, commended the agency for the initiative, and called on students to enroll in the scheme as it would reduce to the barest minimum issues of out of pocket expenditure. (NAN)
