Adamawa State House of Assembly has passed a bill for law to amend the Adamawa State Health Insurance Law number seven of two thousand and eleven to provide free basic health care services unemployed persons under the age of twenty years, pregnant women, disabled indigenes persons and persons above the ages of sixty five.
The bill will also provide free health care services to children below the age of five years old,except in case of serious optical,dental challenges without prejudice to the requirement of payments of the contributory scheme stipulated in the scheme and make provision for more funding for the scheme in order to achieve the objectives of the law.
The passage of the bill followed the presentation of the report on the floor of the House by the Chairman House standing Committee on Health and Human Services,member representing Yola North Constituency Alhaji Hamidu Sajoh Lekki during Fridays special plenary session.
According to the findings and observations of the report, there is need to make provision allowing the ministry of health to oversee the management of the agency in the absence of the board, premium collected from residence be use exclusively for administration,objective of the contributory Health Management Agency and inadequate provision for information flow and record of account keeping of taxable person and organisation.
The committee also recommended that the Health premium which shall be imposed in residents of the State, it shall collected, deposited and be used exclusively for the administration of the Adamawa State contributory Health Management Agency and the amount of health premium to be impressed on residents of the State be assessed based on actuarial and other relevant consideration.
The committee also recommended that, persons identified as low income and vulnerable persons shall not all taxable persons required to pay but shall be covered by the premium and organizations shall be keep books of accounts adequate in the opinion of the Adamawa State contributory Health Management Agency for the purpose of the health premium among others.
Thereafter thorough Deliberations on the report the chairman of the committee,Alhaji Hamidu sajoh Lekki move a motion for the consideration and adoption of the report and Seconded by member representing Maiha constituency,Yahya Isa and agreed unanimously by the Lawmakers.
After referring the bill to chairman House Committee on rules, business ethics and privileges by the speaker, Majority Leader Alhaji Hammantukur Yettisuri moved for the bill to be read for the third time and Seconded by the minority leader Muhammad Mutawalli of Girei Constituency.
Speaker Aminu Iya Abbas put the motion into voice vote and unanimously supported by the Lawmakers present during the Plenary and therefore directed the clerk of the House to prepare a clean copy of the bill to the executive for Governor’s assent.
