In an attempt to increase free healthcare coverage and lessen the cost of medical care for low-income households, the Niger State Government has started enrolling 66,000 vulnerable citizens in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Alongside the announcement of First Lady Hajiya Fatima Mohammed Bago as the NiCare Health Insurance Ambassador and the start of events commemorating 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, the exercise, which will be carried out throughout the state’s 25 local government areas, was launched in Minna.
More than 121,000 residents have already benefited from the BHCPF, according to Dr. Murtala Mohammed Bagana, Commissioner for Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare, who spoke at the ceremony. He added that the extra enrolment would further expand access to vital healthcare services for needy people.
According to him, the program’s goals are to lower healthcare costs and hasten the state’s transition to universal health coverage.
Bagana urged implementing agencies and all interested parties to make sure that all eligible beneficiaries in the state are located and registered.
The First Lady promised to support increased health insurance coverage, especially for women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations, when she accepted her position as a NiCare Health Insurance Ambassador.
She emphasised that a person’s socioeconomic situation should not be a barrier to receiving treatment.
Mrs. Bago said, “No family should be forced into poverty because they require healthcare, and the inability to pay should never become a barrier to receiving essential medical services.”
As events for the state’s 2026 World Breastfeeding Week got underway, the First Lady also used the opportunity to promote exclusive breastfeeding during a child’s first six months of life.
In addition to urging citizens to sign up for the state’s health insurance program, she called for fathers, employers, medical professionals, traditional authorities, religious leaders, and community organisations to support nursing mothers.