31/08/2025
PLATEAU STATE CONTRIBUTORY HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT AGENCY’S (PLASCHEMA) CRUCIAL INTERFACE WITH MEMBERS OF THE DESK OFFICERS FORUM OF NIGERIA PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER.
The Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) marked a defining moment as its Management team engaged in a crucial interface with Desk Officers Forum of Nigeria, Plateau State Chapter on Friday 29th August, 2025. More than a routine meeting, the engagement stood out as a recalibration, a readjustment of the sails, signalling a fresh determination to set the Agency firmly on course towards its mandate of expanding access and improving the quality of healthcare for Plateau residents.
Desk Officers are not just Administrative intermediaries but also represent the first point of contact for Enrollees seeking healthcare under the State’s social health insurance scheme. Their concerns, observations, and experiences provide a frontline barometer of how policy translates into lived reality at the health facilities.
Speaking on behalf of the Desk Officers and organizations found across Plateau State, Mr. Lazarus Simon Rawen, the Acting Chairman of Plateau State Chapter, congratulated the new Acting Director General, Dr. Kwande Solomon Dawal on his well-deserved appointment. He described Dr. Dawal as a leader with deep institutional memory and proven knowledge in health financing, an asset that makes him well-positioned to steer the Agency at this critical juncture.
Mr. Rawen tabled substantive concerns of the Forum as follows:
● The urgent need for the release of new tariffs that will reflect the current realities.
● An upward review of Capitation fees and Fee For Service (FFS).
● The need to call Health Management Organizations (HMOs) for periodic meetings that ensure monitoring and reconciliation of records.
● The need for Capitation fees and FFS to be backed with payment advices.
● The need for Desk Officers to be enlightened generally on the various benefits of the Equity Health Plan.
● The need to lessen the burden of out-of-pocket expenses by considering some treatments at Primary care level vis the rising cost of medical commodities, reduce delays in payments to facilities, the role of HMOs, and the need for clarity on the operations of the equity plan.
Mr. Rawen explained that the concerns were not mere administrative hiccups but also are systemic challenges that strike at the heart of social health insurance. When Enrollees struggle with payments or when facilities lack the financial clarity to reconcile payments, the promise of affordable and accessible healthcare is undermined.
In his response, Dr. Dawal appreciated the group for their continuous contributions towards effective service delivery on Health Insurance. He reassured the Forum of the Agency’s commitment to deepen the already existing cooperation and relationship enjoyed between the two entities. He also used the opportunity to appreciate the Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang for finding him worthy to steer the ship of the Agency; and also his predecessor Dr. Agabus Nanfwang Manasseh for putting strong structures in place for him to build on.
Furthermore, the Acting Director General stated that the Agency was a Research based Institution and had subjected data on cost of drugs as well as providing healthcare and this was discovered to have risen to 126% and 73% respectively. He informed the Forum that PLASCHEMA had in April 2025 begun a review of its tariff system, same had been concluded and was in the process of being integrated to improve healthcare service delivery and enrollee experience.
Dr. Dawal announced that the new tariffs would commence by October 01st, 2025 and would be circulated in preparations for full take off and implementation. The new rates are: Capitations from Five Hundred and Seventy Naira (₦570.00) to Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (₦650.00) per Enrollee per month; FFS from Three Hundred and Thirty Naira (₦330.00) to Four Hundred Naira (₦400.00) while Administrative Fee from Forty naira (₦40.00) to Forty Five Naira (₦45.00). These would be fully integrated into the Agency’s ICT-driven operations.
This move, he stressed, was part of a broader digital migration strategy to automate healthcare service delivery, improve efficiency and transparency.
On co-payments, he signalled flexibility, promising to examine models that could potentially remove or reduce them. He assured the group of deliberate follow-up on HMOs to ensure they do not impede but rather complement PLASCHEMA’s vision. He also provided clarity on the Equity Health Plan, emphasizing its focus on the most vulnerable groups: retirees, the elderly, children under five years of age, pregnant women, the poorest of the poor and people living with disabilities – with a wide range of nearly Twenty-Seven Thousand (27,000) beneficiaries already enrolled.
He attributed recent progress to the commitment of His Excellency, the Governor of Plateau State Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, who ensured counterpart funds were paid; and also the Seventeen (17) Local Government Chairmen for the payment of Equity Funds to enrol vulnerable individuals in their Local Government Areas.
The meeting demonstrated PLASCHEMA’s willingness to listen, adapt, and chart a more responsive course in the face of real-world challenges. The Desk Officers spoke as the eyes and ears of the system, and the Management responded as leaders willing to course-correct.
The Acting Director General mentioned that PLASCHEMA is open to listening, to learning, and most importantly, to leading all for God and the People. He appreciated the Forum for initiating the meeting and assured them that the Agency will not only steady its sails but accelerate toward its mission of ensuring quality healthcare for all Plateau residents so that no one is left behind.
