Health
NIGER State Contributory Health Agency (NiCare) has inaugurated a free enrolment drive to provide health insurance coverage for nursing mothers and their babies.
NiCare Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Sulayman Abu-Bakr said the drive was part of activities to mark the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week.
Abu-Bakr disclosed this, while unveiling the scheme in Minna on Saturday ahead of the official inauguration of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Vulnerable Persons Enrolment Drive.
He said the 93-day exercise would cover all the 25 local government and 274 wards in the state, including informal workers, nursing mothers, small-scale farmers and persons with disabilities.
He said the agency deliberately aligned the exercise with the World Breastfeeding Week, observed from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7 to strengthen maternal and child healthcare through access to health insurance.
“We chose to launch within World Breastfeeding Week, a globally recognised week for the health of mothers and babies.
“The initiative also builds on the recent Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week”, he said.
The NiCare boss urged nursing mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
He describing breastfeeding as one of the most effective ways of protecting children against infections, promoting healthy growth and supporting brain development.
According to him, health insurance provides nursing mothers and their babies with free access to antenatal care.
‘’It also provides safe delivery, postnatal services, immunisation and treatment for common childhood illnesses at designated facilities, he said.
Abu-Bakr said NiCare currently had 121,549 residents enrol under its various schemes.
He said this include 80,230 vulnerable persons covered through the government-funded programme, and 37,350 students and staff under the tertiary institutions’ health insurance scheme.
He said the new enrolment drive was aimed at reaching the remaining vulnerable residents and expanding access to quality healthcare across the state.
He noted that beneficiaries would receive a wide range of healthcare services free at the point of use.
‘’The scheme has already recorded significant interventions, including treatment for malaria, antenatal care, immunisation, safe deliveries and referrals for specialised care, ‘’ he said.
Abu-Bakr revealed that the wife of the governor, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed Bago, would serve as NiCare’s State Health Insurance Ambassador.
According to him, Bago will formally inaugurate the enrolment drive, while mobilising support for maternal and child health across the state.
He urged the media to support public awareness on the free enrolment exercise and encouraged eligible vulnerable residents to take advantage of the opportunity to access healthcare without financial hardship.
‘’The initiative reflects the state government’s commitment to ensuring that no vulnerable resident is denied access to healthcare because of inability to pay, Abu-Bakr said.(NAN)
F.O
Tags: Free Health Insurance Niger
