The Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA+) has lauded Nasarawa State Muslim youths for setting the pace in faith-based action for the realisation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Ms Amber Erinmwinhe, the National Coordinator of NINERELA+Nigeria, an NGO, who gave the commendation on Wednesday in Abuja, reassured the Muslim youths of the organisation’s commitment to invest huge resources in faith congregations.
“We have huge resources in faith congregations. It is not about the amount of money they have, but the opportunities there.
“Just by the pronouncement of the faith leader asking for contributions to support the poor with health insurance annually, you cannot imagine how much we can achieve with that.
“Look at what the faith-based youth UHC advocates are doing in Nasarawa; within a short time, they have mobilised resources for enrollment of poor persons into health insurance,” she said a statement by Mr Ikenna Nwakamma, Programne Manager, NINERELA+.
Erinmwinhe commended the youth organisation for raising the consciousness to the point that their faith leaders now see it as a responsibility to take care of the congregation under them.
According to him, that is what we call transformational faith action for development.
The Programme Manager, Nwakamma, reaffirmed the commitment of NINERELA+Nigeria toward adopting uncommon approaches in contributing to the attainment of the UHC target in Nigeria.
“We are working with our partner, Christian Aid UK, Nigeria, to pursue transformational faith community actions in health.
“The big picture on health today is Universal Health Coverage.
“We started our 30/30 campaign which calls for contribution of all faith congregations to UHC by committing to financing the health insurance coverage of at least 30 per cent of their indigent members before 2030,” he said.
Nwakamma, who described the target as a tasking campaign, said it was very achievable and realisable.
“Just imagine all faith congregations buying into the campaign, before 2030, we will be meeting our UHC target.”
The programme manager restated his satisfaction with the Muslim youths’ determination to achieve UHC through advocacy, as well as setting record in faith-based resource mobilisation for equitable access to health insurance.
Also, Usman Sale, leader of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), who is one of the leaders of the Youth UHC Advocacy group, expressed delight over their existing partnership with NINERELA+Nigeria.
“We are very delighted to be part of this. Our encounter with INERELA+Nigeria has opened our eyes to the opportunities in our faith congregations.
“We can leverage to support indigent persons to enrol into health insurance. Our faith mandates us to take care of those who are weak and poor.
“Today, the world is pursuing the UHC target that calls for prioritisation of the vulnerable in health insurance coverage,” Sale said in the statement made available to the News agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He decried the manner the poor and the vulnerable were being left behind in UHC as well as health insurance.
According to him, the poor that we are supposed to consider first given their vulnerability are totally left behind in health insurance coverage.
Sale, who expressed optimism for a better future, called for equitable access to healthcare through faith communities’ support.
“We have people in our congregations that can support the enrollment of the poor and we are reaching them.
“At the moment, we have received commitments from prominent persons in our communities who have pledged to take care of the health insurance coverage of a number of indigent persons.
“We hope that it will be a priority for all Mosques in the state as a contribution of our faith to promoting equity in healthcare.”
NAN reports that NINERELA+ leverages on faith platform to promote HIV prevention in particular.
NINERElA+ uses religious leaders who are trained as champions, to create demand for HIV services like HIV testing and counselling, prevention of mother to child transmission.
To accomplish these, it uses trained mentor mothers and volunteers to track pregnant women in faith communities (both Christians and Muslims) and ensure they patronise antenatal services and HIV testing. (NAN)
