The Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) says health insurance coverage in the state has grown significantly, increasing from 497,262 enrollees in 2023 to 933,014 in 2025 an 87.6 per cent rise within two years.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Rahila Muktar, made this known on Friday in Kano during a press briefing to mark the 2025 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day.
Ms Muktar said the growth reflects the commitment of the Kano State Government to providing affordable and quality healthcare for residents through the Kano State Contributory Health Scheme.
She credited the progress to the leadership of Governor Abba Yusuf and the support of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, noting that the administration has prioritised healthcare as a social welfare right.
According to her, KSCHMA was established under Law No. 3 of 2016 to ensure sustainable healthcare financing through pooled contributions, donations and taxes. The goal, she said, is to make quality healthcare accessible, affordable and efficient for all residents.
Since assuming office in June 2023, Ms Muktar explained that the agency has focused on expanding enrolment and protecting residents from the financial burden of healthcare costs, in line with the state’s universal health coverage agenda.
She said enrolment under the state-funded Vulnerable Group Programme rose sharply by 935 per cent, from 4,903 to 50,745 beneficiaries, with support from the Kano State Health Trust Fund. This programme covers pregnant women, children under five, persons with disabilities and people living with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease and HIV.
Enrolment under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund also increased by 215 per cent, from 108,664 to 342,515, improving access to primary healthcare services across the state.
In the formal sector, enrolment grew by 40 per cent to 537,914 people, while the informal sector recorded a major increase of over 1,143 per cent, rising from 148 to 1,840 enrollees.
Ms Muktar said the expanded coverage currently supports over 145,000 pregnant women, more than 124,000 children under five, 46,512 persons with disabilities, 31,003 people with chronic medical conditions, and 29,473 people living with HIV.
The scheme also covers 3,609 inmates in correctional centres and over 8,000 others with conditions such as fistula, hypertension and spinal cord injuries.
She added that the agency has strengthened partnerships with key health institutions and agencies, including the State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Hospitals Management Board, Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS, the Kano Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and several development partners.
According to her, KSCHMA is also working to enrol 39,000 indigent sickle cell patients under the Abba Care Programme.
She said the agency has introduced a Zakat and Waqf Programme to support vulnerable groups, in line with Islamic ethical financing, and has expanded healthcare coverage for inmates under the state’s vulnerable programme.
Ms Muktar noted that the agency has upgraded its call centre to respond faster to complaints and digitised services at primary healthcare centres to improve transparency and accountability.
She also disclosed that more than 1,000 healthcare providers across 614 approved facilities have been trained, while a phone-based feedback survey has been introduced for vulnerable beneficiaries in selected local government areas.
Activities to mark the 2025 UHC Day in Kano, she said, include the distribution of relief items to vulnerable groups and the launch of informal sector enrolment across the state.
