Kaduna Assembly, KADCHMA, ACIOE Urged Stronger Health Insurance, Private Sector Role to Reduce Maternal Deaths

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Chairman of the Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Honorable Haruna Barnabas, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to reducing maternal mortality through increased health financing and better access to quality care, especially for women in rural areas.

Hon. Barnabas spoke during an advocacy meeting with the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) and the ACIOE Foundation at the State Ministry of Health.

He mentioned that the meeting was convened to review progress since last year’s dialogue and to identify new steps to improve health services.

“We are here to see how we can improve the lives of our citizens in terms of health delivery, particularly concerning maternal deaths,” Hon. Barnabas said. “We have realized that many of our women die during childbirth.

That is why KADCHMA is one of the health agencies where we enroll people to reduce out-of-pocket expenses.”

The lawmaker observed that although enrollment numbers have improved since last year’s review, they still fall short of expectations. He stated that the Assembly is ready to support KADCHMA and the Ministry of Health by accelerating legislative action and providing budgetary support where needed.

“No matter what, that’s why we are at the House of Assembly to discuss laws,” he said. “The DG has spoken to me about it, and I’ve told him what to do. I expect him to go work, then come back to us so we can see what we can do about it.”

Hon. Barnabas also emphasized that the Committee would ensure quick consideration of any issues raised by the Ministry of Health or KADCHMA. He highlighted budget implementation as a key area where the Assembly can intervene to increase health funding beyond the current 6 percent allocation.

“We will fast-track any issues raised from the Ministry of Health, or particularly from KADCHMA, to ensure they are addressed,” he said. “When they discussed budget implementation, I thought this was an area where we could step in and increase the percentage. Because health, they say, is wealth.”

The Director General of KADCHMA, Mallam Hassan, outlined the goals of the engagement. He explained that the meeting was to share key findings from a rapid assessment conducted by the ACIOE Foundation in Kaduna State, present ongoing healthcare financing and digital health initiatives, and outline stakeholder agreements to strengthen private-sector financing and accountability.

Adenike Badiora, Advocacy Lead for the Maternal Health and Communications Project at ACIOE Foundation, said the advocacy meeting aimed to integrate the private health sector into Kaduna’s healthcare governance structure. She pointed out that private facilities deliver up to 70 percent of healthcare services in the state but face significant challenges.

“Private health sector. The private sector provides about 70% of healthcare for the state’s population. But one is that they don’t have access to financing, which is very critical to healthcare delivery. And there is a weak monitoring system so that the state can enforce compliance and standards,” Badiora said.

She explained that most pregnant women first visit private clinics and hospitals, making the sector essential to reducing maternal and newborn deaths. Without adequate financing and oversight, she warned, the state risks further loss of lives.

Badiora added that ACIOE advocates for a governance framework and monitoring system to regulate private facilities, and for financing mechanisms that enable them to access single-digit interest loans from the Development Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, and other commercial banks.

“We also want the state government to enroll more of them into the state health insurance scheme so that all women and other populations accessing healthcare services in these private health facilities will have an opportunity to access quality care and avoid catastrophic expenses,” she said.

According to Badiora, ACIOE Foundation is a local NGO focused on improving the lives and well-being of women, girls, adolescents, and children across Nigeria.

With commitments from the Assembly, KADCHMA, and civil society, stakeholders agreed that increasing enrollment under KADCHMA and boosting private sector participation will be crucial to reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Kaduna State.