The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a free health insurance enrolment and medical outreach programme for inmates across correctional centres in Abuja, benefitingmore than 1,500 inmates.
The exercise, which began on Tuesday at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, is the first formal enrolment of inmates into the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
The programme is expected to extend to correctional facilities in Gwagwalada and Suleja.
According to the FCTA, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, ap provedthe initiative and said incarceration should not deny citizens access to quality healthcare and other basic rights.
Access to free healthcare
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, the Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, said the programme was designed around the principle of universal health coverage to ensure that no one is left behind regardless of social or legal status.
Ms Fasawe said inmates enrolled under the scheme would receive free consultations, laboratory and radiology services, emergency care, surgeries, and essential drugs.
The outreach also included National Identification Number (NIN) registration to support identification enrolment into the insurance database.
Health education sessions were conducted for the inmates on hygiene, disease prevention and the importance of health insurance.
They were also assured that they “remain part of society and are entitled to dignity, care, and hope for reintegration.”
The Deputy Comptroller of the Kuje Correctional Centre, Rasheed Ogundare, described the intervention as unprecedented, noting that it was the “first comprehensive government-led healthcare support extended to inmates in the facility.”
Mr Ogundare thanked the FCTA and called for similar interventions in other institutions.
The FCTA added that the programme included blood pressure and blood glucose checks, malaria testing and treatment, eye examinations, medical consultations and the distribution of prescribed medications.
According to figures released during the exercise, more than 550 inmates were screened for hypertension, diabetes and malaria, while about 380 prescriptions were dispensed.
The administration also said over 230 inmates had eye screening, with more than 130 of them receiving corrective lenses.
In addition, over 250 inmates completed NIN registration and health insurance enrolment during the outreach.
Existing prison healthcare
The intervention comes amid longstanding concerns over healthcare conditions in correctional centres across Nigeria, where overcrowding, poor funding, and limited access to medical services have frequently been raised by human rights groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Ms Fasawe assured that the clinic within the correctional centre would receive “sustained support, including a steady supply of drugs and medical consumables, noting that essential medications would no longer be unavailable.”
She also said steps were underway to strengthen and accredit the facility’s medical centre for improved service delivery.
She commended the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for prioritising healthcare within correctional institutions, expressing satisfaction with the available medical infrastructure and calling for its proper utilisation and maintenance.
Support for rehabilitation
During the visit, Ms Fasawe interacted with inmates and purchased products made within the facility, including sandals, books, liquid soap, and bags.
She also donated cash to support vocational training classes in the centre and urged inmates to see their situation “as a phase of transformation rather than a final definition of their lives.”
The FCTA also donated medications, consumables and medical supplies to support continued healthcare delivery at the facility.
It reaffirmed its commitment to expanding equitable healthcare access to all vulnerable populations across the FCT.
