ASHENEWS reports that Niger state government is set to provide health insurance to farmers in the state.
The initiative facilitated by an agreement between Niger Foods Limited and the Niger state Contributory Health Agency (NiCare) would provide insurance coverage to 350,000 farmers in the state.
Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NiCare and Niger Foods at the Government House in Minna, the Executive Chairman, Niger Foods Limited, Sammy Adigun said that the intervention was aimed at strengthening healthcare access to farmers in the state.
Adigun noted that the agreement would eliminate out-of-pocket expenditure for farmers, by allowing them to pay for healthcare services with their farm harvests.
According to him, the scheme would cost N12,000 for each family and where cash is not available, farmers would pay back with crops.
On his part, the Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago expressed his administration’s readiness to strengthen the state’s health insurance scheme.
Bago, who noted that previous attempts to operate the state contributory health scheme failed said that the state government was already in talks with civil servants who had previously opted out of the scheme.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Tertiary Health, Bello Tukur assured that the state government would make the healthcare facilities in the state conducive for farmers to access quality healthcare services.
Tukur stressed that equitable healthcare access was a priority for the present administration in the state.
“We will make sure that our facilities are ready to provide such healthcare services for farmers.”
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NiCare, Sulayman Abu-bakr assured of the agency’s commitment to strengthening the schemes uptake in the state.
This online platform reports that the Chairman of Niger Foods Ltd, Mr Sammy Adigun signed for the State-owned Private Enterprise while the Executive Secretary, NiCare, Suleiman Abubakar signed on behalf of the Health insurance Agency.
