The Kano State government says it has uncovered 8,875 ghost enrollees in hospitals accredited by the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA), leading to a significant cost-saving of ₦42,600,000.
The irregularities came to light during a routine audit conducted by KSCHMA. Officials noticed discrepancies between the reported number of enrollees and actual patient records in several accredited hospitals.
The hospitals include Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospitals, Waziri Shehu Gidado General Hospital, Sir Muhammadu Sunusi General Hospital and Khalipha Isyaka Rabi’u Pediatric Hospital.
Other hospitals include Imamu Wali General Hospital, Bamalli Nuhu Maternity Hospital, Sabo Bakinzuwo Maternity Hospital, Mariya Sunusi Maternity Hospital and Marmara Maternity and Child Hospital.
The Executive Secretary of KSCHMA, Dr. Rahila Aliyu Mukhtar told Nigeria Info that “while 2,671 ghost enrollees were uncovered at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Muhammad, 2,541 ghost enrollees were discovered at Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital”.
A report released by the agency, tagged: SUMMARY OF BENEFICIARY SCREENING EXERCISE CONDUCTED IN 10 ACCREDITED SECONDARY FACILITIES, also said “1,126 ghost enrollees were discovered in Waziri Shehu Gidado Hospital."
The report also revealed that, “1,023 and 727 ghost enrollees were uncovered in Sir Muhammadu Sunusi General Hospital and Khalipha Isyaka Rabi’u Pediatric Hospitals.”
According to the report, “the ghost enrollees include individuals who retired but remained listed as active beneficiaries, overage dependents, as well as individuals added to the enrollee list by desk officers illicitly to receive additional financial incentives.”
It also revealed that “8,875 individuals had been illicitly registered, allowing them to access healthcare services without proper authorization.”
Dr Rahila also says it will conduct a comprehensive screening exercise targeting its accredited private hospitals to identify and eliminate ghost enrollees registered to receive healthcare benefits without proper authorization.
According to her, the screening exercise will encompass all private hospitals accredited under the KSCHMA scheme.
She said key activities during this period will include “Verification of Enrollee Records, On-Site Assessments, and Stakeholder Engagement to ensure compliance and address any anomalies identified during the process.”
Dr. Rahila, who expressed optimism that the exercise will enhance data accuracy, optimize resource allocation, and strengthen public trust, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to preventing financial leakages and improving service delivery for legitimate enrollees.
