Kaduna State Understudies Oyo Health Insurance Scheme

HEALTH BY QUICKSILVER

An Eight-Man delegation from Kaduna State Government on Wednesday completed a two day study tour of Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme (OYSIA).

The team led by the Chairman of Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Dr. Isaac Zankhai and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Human Resources, Alh. Shehu Muhammed said that they were in Ibadan to under study how the Oyo State Government had initiated the first state insurance scheme in the country.

Dr Zankhai urged the Oyo State Government to remain committed to its vision of ensuring comprehensive quality healthcare coverage for all, saying that Kaduna State would template on the success and challenges of Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme to facilitate its proposed contributory health insurance scheme.

He stated that what they saw during their visit to the Oyo State House of Assembly, Offices of the Head of Service and Commissioner for Health as well as OYSIA office and accredited Hospitals was an eye-opener to them, which would be leveraged on and replicated in their state, thus, commending the Oyo State Government’s determination to reposition the healthcare delivery system in the state.

Receiving the Kaduna State delegation at the caucus room of the state House of Assembly, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Micheal Adeyemo expressed appreciation to the eight-man delegation for embarking on the tour for the benefits of the people of Kaduna State, urging that efforts should be made to make the scheme affordable and accessible.

Rt. Hon. Adeyemo equally extended appreciation to Governor Ajimobi for making the health care delivery system in the state a unique one, adding that the governor placed much premium on effective healthcare delivery which is being supported by the legislators.

The speaker reassured that OYHA. would continue to support the government with the enactment of laws that would boost the development of the state in all facets as well as effective and efficient oversight functions, noting that the state government public enlightenment programme calling on people to embrace the scheme is yielding positive results.

In her own remarks during a visit to her office, the Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Hannah Ogunesan stated that programmes initiated by the state government were meant to close the gap in the health sector and provide comprehensive healthcare delivery for the state citizenry, promising that the state would not relent in its avowed determination in the provision of adequate healthcare services for the people of the state at a bearable cost.

While receiving the team, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adedutan disclosed that the scheme has recorded over 20,000 independent enrollees apart from the state civil and public servants, who have been mandated to register for the scheme with minimum premium of N650 monthly, noting that the government is repositioning the health sector for effective service delivery and efforts will be geared towards the renovation of all hospitals in the state through the endowment fund, budgetary provision and support from intervention funds.

In his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary of the scheme, Dr. Olusola Akande maintained that the approval of the mandatory enrolment of all civil servants in the state on the health insurance scheme has resulted to the wider coverage and sustainable health delivery services in line with international best practices of universal health coverage, adding that cross fertilization of ideas across states would impact on national growth.

He further disclosed that the health care scheme has been extended to all shades of people at all levels in the state, commending Governor Ajimobi for the scientific approach to addressing issues in the health sector of the state and the commitment to make health care system in the state to an enviable height.

Some of the hospitals visited include Jericho Nursing Home, Ibadan, Comfort Medical Centre, Total Garden, Ibadan and Bashorun Oluwo-N-La Primary Healthcare Centre, all of which are partners of the state government on the health insurance scheme.