The Plateau State Government is combining free medical treatment with health insurance enrolment under its ongoing Mega Medical Outreach, as hundreds of residents benefit from healthcare services at designated centres in Shendam and Mangu.
The initiative, sponsored by Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and Deputy Governor Ngo Josephine Piyo, is targeting indigent and vulnerable residents, with the aim of reducing financial barriers to essential healthcare across the state’s three senatorial districts.
Beyond consultations and treatment, the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) is enrolling eligible beneficiaries into health insurance schemes to help strengthen their access to medical services beyond the outreach.
The programme currently operates at General Hospital, Shendam, for the Southern Senatorial District and General Hospital, Mangu, for the Central Senatorial District. Services include eye care, dental treatment, laboratory investigations and surgical procedures.
Women, children, elderly persons and other residents have turned out at the two facilities to receive medical attention, with healthcare workers attending to patients with different conditions.
Speaking on the exercise, the Team Lead, Dr. Nuhu Ma’an, said hundreds of residents continued to turn out daily, expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the programme.
Ma’an said adequate medical personnel had been deployed to both centres to ensure that patients received timely attention and that the medical teams effectively managed the cases presented to them.
He also announced that the outreach would extend to the Northern Senatorial District next week, with Governor Mutfwang expected to perform the flag-off.
The planned expansion is expected to extend the programme’s reach to residents in the remaining senatorial district, completing its coverage across the three zones of Plateau State.
The inclusion of health insurance enrolment gives the initiative a longer-term dimension by connecting eligible beneficiaries to healthcare coverage beyond the immediate medical intervention.
For residents who face difficulties paying for treatment, the combination of free medical services and access to health insurance offers an opportunity to address immediate health needs while taking steps towards more sustained healthcare access.
