Health financing has always been a key challenge to building a strong health care system in many low and middle-income countries, and Nigeria is no exception. It is trite that high health cost is a major driver of poverty in many countries.
It has been said that that most households are just a sickness away from abject poverty. Therefore, with Nigeria’s household health expenditure at 76.6% and with Out-of-Pocket Expenditure at an all-time high of 74%, it is clear that Bende can only experience true economic emancipation when quality healthcare is no longer unaffordable.
This is why the ongoing registration for the highly subsidized Benjamin Kalu Health Insurance Scheme for Bende Federal Constituency is a great blessing for Bende people. Under the health insurance scheme, Bende people are set to enjoy subsidized health care at almost next to nothing. This means that when beneficiaries of the scheme are sick and visit government hospitals for medical care, they will only be required to pay 10% of their total healthcare costs as the remainder will be borne by the government.
Registration for the scheme began on Thursday, November 26, 2020 and is currently ongoing at the Benjamin Kalu Constituency Office, No. 10 Uzuakoli – Ozuitem Igbere Road, Uzuakoli, Bende LGA, Abia State.
As at yesterday, November 27, 2020, over 500 Bende indigenes had registered for the scheme and the ongoing program aims to register thousands more. Bende Federal Constituents are advised to rush to the constituency office to get registered immediately.
