By David Abiola
The Osun Health Insurance Scheme (O’HIS) of the Gboyega Oyetola administration, has concluded plans to provide free healthcare services to pregnant women, children under the ages of 5 and adults over the age of 65.
This development was made known yesterday, 8th July at a press conference held at the conference room of the Osun Health Insurance Agency, Osogbo.
During the briefing, the Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency, Dr Adeniyi Samuel Oginni, stated that “Quality healthcare is a basic right of the citizenry in which no one should be denied of, also, anyone who needs the service should be able to access it without putting them at financial risk”.
He stated that the overall benefit for establishing the scheme is to provide an avenue to garner money for healthcare from formal and informal sector with lesser burden on the government”.
He further noted that “was designed so that all residents of Osun will have access to effective, quality and affordable health care services which will protect families from the financial hardship of huge bills”.
“The scheme will ensure provision of healthcare services at best cost, ensure equittable distribution of health care costs across different income groups, will maintain high standard and efficiency in health care service delivery” he added.
Dr Oginni noted that under the scheme, “the poor vulnerables that is, pregnant women, children under five years of age and the aged (65 years and above) will access the care they need at no cost”.
“The civil servants enrolled in the scheme, their spouse and four biological or legally adopted children under 18 years of age will have access to the services, similarly, employees in the organized private sector will contribute 1.5% of their basic salary while their employers will add 3% to this as monthly premium to the state health insurance agency”.
“In the same vein, informal participants (artisans, self employed persons) will pay an affordable premium of N12,066 only per year for O’HIS individual plan or N57,600 per year for a O’HIS family plan which covers enrollee, spouse and four biological or legally adopted children under 18 years of age” he added.
The O’HIS benefit package covers all the common ailments including malaria fever, typhoid, pneumonia, minor injuries, reproductive health services, child delivery, caesarian section and selected surgical operations, he concluded.
Dr Oginni who also represented Governor Oyetola stated that one hundred and fifty million Naira take-off grant had been released for the establishment of the scheme and zonal offices across the 68 LGAs and LCDAs, and to employ ad-hoc personnel, procure operational vehicles, conduct vulnerability research and enrollment of the vulnerable population, establish call center, install necessary ICT infrastructure as well as conduct advocacy, sensitization of different sectors and capacity building for the staff of the agency”.
He acknowledged the support of USAID in capacity building for the staff of the agency so as to acquire adequate skills for the smooth running of the scheme.
Recall that the immediate past governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola originated the executive bill for the establishment of Osun Health Insurance Scheme (O’HIS) which was passed into law by the state house of assembly on 30th October, 2018.