400,000 residents to benefit from health scheme in Ondo

The Ondo State Contributory Health Commission (ODCHC), on Thursday, said no fewer than 400,000 residents of the state would be registered in the first phase of its contributory health scheme.

The commission’s General Manager, Dr Abiodun Oyeneyin, who made this disclosure at a press conference in Akure, said the commission would make sure that 10 per cent of 4.6 million of the residents had health insurance coverage.

Oyeneyin said that the commission had called on organised labour unions in the state to continue discussions with civil servants to avail themselves of the scheme.

He also said that sensitisation programmes were ongoing  to engage the members of the informal sector on the likely amount to be charged by ODCHC as premium for the informal sector health insurance plan.

The general manager said that the state government was committed to paying a certain premium for the benefit of pregnant women and children under five years old in the state.

“This scheme is tagged Abiyamo Maternal and Child Health Insurance Scheme and it was inaugurated on Dec. 3, 2019.

“The state government is also considering procurement of health insurance cover for people with disabilities. This is to ensure universal coverage of the vulnerable in the state,” he stated.

Oyeneyin said that apart from the vulnerable persons, all other residents were expected to pay a premium for their health insurance under the ODCHS.

“We promise that these packages for the formal and informal sectors will be robust and affordable to ensure we grow the coverage every year until we have universal health coverage in the state.

“Our health insurance policies will run for one year and cover the principal enrollee, a spouse, and 4 children

“The hospitals to be accredited and put forward as providers of the scheme shall be both public and private hospitals found suitable in all the 18 local government areas of the state,” he said.

Oyeneyin urged the governments, citizens, and donors to contribute to the scheme, which in his words: ”health insurance is the most effective and evidence-based contributory mechanism for health across the world”.

He called on well-meaning individuals and bodies to procure health insurance plans for their aged parents, family members, and friends, adding that churches and mosques should also do it for their indigent members.