Health Insurance: Adamawa govt to deducts 5% of workers salaries

…The implementation is timely, No over deduction, 5℅ is the actual amount deducted from all workers – Kumangar

…Health Insurance Scheme is one of the best legacies of the Fintiri led administration – Ujulu

It is said that however positive a policy could be, the implementation of it, if not adequately planned and with diplomacy the affected are to be completely persuaded in line with the spirit of understandability and believability, the policy would be challenged with the air about pessimism, generating misgivings, especially in a tensed political period, near electioning atmosphere as typified by the implementation of the Health Insurance Scheme in Adamawa state.

Whilst some optimists represented by Dr Amos Ujulu, the Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Health Insurance Scheme would consider the policy as a welcome development as “it is meant to provide health insurance coverage for civil servants and their families… as one of the best legacies of the Fintiri led administration, which aligns with the National Health Insurance Policies enjoyed by federal civil servants for close to two decades, considering also that the civil servants with Gombe, Yobe, Kano and Kaduna states in the northern part of the country are already benefiting from similar scheme,” the rather exasperated civil servants the interviewed, expressed that the timing for the implementation of the scheme by the rather experts in desperation was summarily suffocating.

The group would argue that due to the desperation associated with the rush, ignoring adequate preparation, the August salaries of some workers were deducted beyond the 5℅ meant for the health insurance.

“Some of us have our salaries overeducated by 30%, 50℅ and even up to 85%. Suffices to say that some workers who are on grade level 10 received as low as N7, 000 as their August salaries.

“The civil servants who are due to retire in a month, two months or few months time, who will literally not benefit from the Health Insurance Scheme, are unfortunately also affected by the salaries deduction. It really isn’t proper.

“Some of us are having loans on our heads. There’s also the Adashe contributions in addition to the consideration of the payment of our children’s school fees for the new session, with the schools’ resumption soon and the house rents among others already budgeted for. Any attempt at taking a dime from the salary would invariably affect the budget.

“The implementation would have been welcomed if it were to start from January next year when workers would have been adequately sensitised, effectively persuaded and well prepared. The scheme would have also been fully prepared in avoidance of over deductions being complained about.

“But the circular to the effect of deduction was released barely few days to the payday when workers’ minds were not readily prepared”.

When asked whether or not they registered their grievances to be addressed squarely by the trade union leadership, they lamented that “it’s obvious that the union executives have compromised. We’re clearly mortgaged”.

Reacting to the popular lamentations in an interview with this medium, the Permanent Secretary as media mediator to the state governor, Mr Solomon Kumangar, suspected a politically motivated mischief cocooned in what is considered as registering grievance or simply challenging the policy without a cause as it is the position with any new policy however popular or productive it could be; people always challenge changes at the initial state before adapting to it.

Kumangar explained that the planning stage of the initiative began sometimes last year and that there was a circular issued in July this year to the effect of the implementation of the health insurance scheme, following a series of staff sensitisation across the entire ministries.

Kumangar revealed however that the only areas that the sensitisation has not fully covered are the agencies of government but then there were media appearances to cover the gaps.

He explained that before the implementation could get to be actualised, there were meetings between the leadership of the labour union and the government, represented by the Accountant General and the Commissioner of Finance. It is expected that the leadership of the labour union have also reached out to their members.

Kumangar, having confirmed from the Accountant General, denied that there was any salary cut beyond the 5℅ deducted, dedicated to the Health Insurance.

According to Kumangar, “No civil servant with the state government, from the bottom junior to the top permanent secretary, whose salary was deducted more than N10, 000. Mind you 5℅ of the N30,000 minimum wage is just N1,500.

“However, if a any staff has experienced more than 5℅ deduction from his or her salary, he or she should go to the accounts department in his or her workplace to have the anomaly rectified, as simple as that.

“The staff with the federal government have since been benefiting from the health insurance scheme. Some states have also keyed in, why should our state be left behind?”

He said that politics aside, in the implementation of the health insurance scheme, Governor Fintiri should be excused rather than accused, should be commended rather than condemned for another breathtaking, priceless Fresh Air.

Read below the full text of the circular:

Ref. No S/ESTI54/TV/E

Dr. Barminus A. Gayus
Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Training FOR: Head of Civil Service.