Another day and another year have offered us another chance to choose our futures. Although it is nearly common information that health equals wealth, since our daily existence and capacity to perform efficiently and effectively depends on no little degree of our physical and mental fitness, this has sadly become overemphasized in our life choice scale.
In light of these facts, and with a commitment to affordable quality health care for all, and with the overarching goal of universal health coverage, the Edo State Government, under the ‘Result-Oriented’ leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, has not only laid the groundwork but has also actualized the provision of affordable and accessible quality health care for all Edo State residents through the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS), with over 60(sixty) accredited health facilities across the 3 senatorial districts in the State.
These include the best of both revamped public and private hospitals, as well as regional facilities in Edo North and Edo Central, and it currently has over seventeen thousand (17,000) enrollees under its formal and informal plans, as well as its State Equity Plan, which has enrolled hundreds of the state’s vulnerable groups, even as it guarantees quality health care service and delivery to all Edo State residents, regardless of location within the state, through its readily available and affordable health insurance policy to all, irrespective of financial status.
Along with this health insurance scheme is the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which was established in collaboration with the federal government of Nigeria to ensure access to free quality health care services even in the most remote parts of the state, with the primary goal of providing quality free health care services to the financially disadvantaged, vulnerable groups, children, and the elderly.
With revamped and re-equipped primary health care facilities spread across the state’s 18 local government areas, the Edo State health insurance commission has enrolled over ninety thousand (90,000) enrollees into the scheme through its ongoing continuous accelerated enrolment scheme that is being carried out throughout the state.
As a result, every resident of the State should take advantage of this life-saving opportunity that the health insurance scheme offers on a silver platter, with minimal financial commitment, while providing the best of quality health care that only the wealthy could dream of before now, and ensuring round-the-clock availability of quality health service, regardless of financial constraint or status.
Under the leadership of the Director-General, Dr. Rock Amegor, the Edo State Health Insurance Commission has long engaged in a continuous sensitization exercise of the public through all available media platforms to create much-needed awareness in an area previously dominated by the private sector, while engaging Trade unions, artisans, and the organized private sector.
This is done to promote an all-inclusive and participatory health insurance program that takes into account the specific health requirements of residents in the state, even as it collaborates with well-meaning NGOs and organizations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has over a thousand beneficiaries and is still growing, to ensure that Edo State’s mission of providing quality health care services to all is realized, in line with the goal of universal health coverage.
With this Objective as a guiding principle, the Edo State Government has spared no effort or resources in realigning the trajectory of the health care delivery system in Edo State through this Health Insurance Scheme, by not only its affordable health insurance premiums and BHCPF (Basic health care provision funds) which provides quality health care service at no cost to the people, but also ensuring that all the facets of the health care delivery system, from the health care infrastructures to its personnel are well equipped and positioned to be maximally effective and efficient in ensuring that residents of the state get the best of quality health care services.
For the time being, suffice it to say that there is a positive paradigm shift in health care delivery in Edo State, as evidenced by the testimonies of enrollees who have benefited in no small measure from this health insurance scheme, ranging from successful treatment of enrollees in quality health care facilities to safe delivery of pregnant women and other surgical procedures that would have put a noticeable dent in their finances without the benefit of their health insurance policy.
As a result of their decision to join the programme, individuals and their families now enjoy the dual advantage of superior health care and financial prudence. As a result, we must seize this opportunity and make the prudent decision to guarantee that we are all covered under this system, because, as the adage goes, health is wealth.
