The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the state’s health insurance scheme would strengthen its healthcare system, boost service delivery and ensure affordability for residents across the state.
The governor said this in commemoration of the Universal Health Coverage Day celebrated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its sister agencies.
Governor Obaseki assured that his administration would sustain reforms in the healthcare sector and emphasise on the health insurance scheme, which has been set up to provide quality, affordable, and quality healthcare to residents in the state.
He noted that the scheme is part of a wider reform that ensured that the state recorded relative success in containing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The governor added that the Edo State Health Insurance Commission has been set up with a charge to coordinate efforts at galvanizing stakeholders in the state’s health system to provide quality and affordable service to residents, calling on residents to enroll for the scheme to enjoy a wide range of services tailored to provide affordable healthcare.
According to him, “As we mark the Universal Health Coverage Day, I reiterate our commitment to ensuring the success of the health insurance scheme, for which we have made considerable investment to ensure that Edo people get quality healthcare service when they are enrolled and contribute to the insurance scheme. It ensures that they get good service when they fall ill and visit a designated hospital for treatment.
“This year’s theme, Health for All: Protect Everyone, is apt as it aligns with our vision to provide primary healthcare service to everyone in the state regardless of where they are located. We have started this with the upgrade of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state. With the health insurance scheme, we would be adding private sector actors in the healthcare system and ensuring that anyone who requires healthcare service is provided with care at an affordable rate.”
The governor said the enrolment process would gain momentum in the next couple of weeks, as efforts have been made to ensure that all parts of the state are captured during the exercise.
