PLASCHEMA reiterates commitment to mandate of providing healthcare services to citizens

Director General of the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA), a state social health insurance scheme, Dr Manasseh Agabus Nanfwang, has said that the agency will stick to its responsibility of making available preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare services to residents of Plateau at an affordable cost and would not deviate from this motive.

He added that the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) has for the first time received N327 million from the government as the scheme’s counterpart funding for the vulnerable for 2024.

Nanfwang said the agency will remain focused and resolute in achieving this and assured the people that all the pooled resources would be judiciously used to provide the needed care to all residents of the state.

The DG clarified in response to Netizens who took to social media to accuse the agency of being turned into an avenue for siphoning state funds.

They had alleged that the Secretary to the Government of Plateau State, Samuel Jatau, had planted the Director of Health Services, Standards and Quality Control, David Wuyep, to act as a pipe for embezzling the agency’s funds.

Speaking to Journalists in Jos on Wednesday, Nanfwang, represented by the Director of Health Services Standard and Quality Control Pharm. Danladi Wuyep described the allegations as baseless, flippant and mischievous.

According to him, the allegations might not have been unconnected with the scuffle over the position of the chief executive of the agency immediately after the former administration exited.

He said, “As soon as Caleb Mutfwang came into office, a directive was issued to all CEO of MDAs to hand over to the next senior officer in all MDAs and this triggered a scuffle for the position of the acting DG of the agency and it’s at this point that the Secretary of the Government of Plateau state came into the picture who was able to resolve the scuffle, which eventually made me the acting DG.

“It should be noted that here that this was my first encounter with the SGS who has proven to be a seasoned administrator, a man of integrity who would rather identify with the truth as against the speculation to drive home an ill intention that our economic situation has climaxed to a deplorable state that warrants men to sell their conscience for a morsel.”

He said that immediately after he assumed office, his predecessor handed N10 million to him, in addition to the N28 million handed over to his predecessor by the pioneer DG, making a total of N38 million and wondered where the N800 million he was accused of having expended came from.

“Concerning the allegation of pilfering, as soon as this government came into power, an Executive order from the office of the Attorney general was served to direct the Agency to carry out an investigative audit of the Agency from inception and an external audit firm was engaged. This was done and the report was forwarded to the office of the Attorney General for necessary punitive measures.

“And we believe that the investigative audit findings would give birth to answer all questions misappropriation of funds within the Agency.

Also, 13 million had been speculated to have been expended on Portrait production. Here, the Agency clearly and sincerely posit that there has never been a contract awarded to the sum of N13 million in the Agency for portraits as speculated.

He added, “Meanwhile from May 2023, the agency was already indebted with regards to payments of capitation and service fees for facilities for three months to approximately N162,000.

Nanfwang said that the agency was only rescued by the prompt payment of salaries and release of remittances by the Mutfwang administration, which made the agency up to date with payment of capitation and fees for service to facilities, which attracted even more facilities under the programme as against the speculations that some facilities had exited.

He said that the agency has been able to convince and attract one of the most difficult sectors – the Informal sector – and currently has more than 3000 enrolees.