The Concerned Edo Citizens, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has urged residents in Edo State to take advantage of the all-inclusive Edo Health Insurance Scheme (Edo-HIS) to access quality and affordable healthcare services.
The convener of the group, Comrade Ogbewi Aghedo, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, said it is important for residents to enroll for the health insurance scheme to benefit from the several packages of the scheme.
Aghedo noted that the state government has demonstrated commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery, reducing mortality and tackling the burden of out-of-pocket health expenditure for residents.
“Civil rights groups, religious and traditional leaders should work together in mobilizing vulnerable persons in their communities to enroll for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which is an initiative of the federal government, implemented by the state government under the equity plan of the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme,” he charged.
The rights activists further commended the state government for making provision for adequate healthcare for the aged in the state, adding, “residents should take advantage of the enhanced plan of the health insurance scheme to provide affordable health for aged parents living alone to access affordable healthcare through home visits, where nurses and other experts visit them at home to check blood pressure and carry out other medical checkups.
“It is time for us to take seriously the duty of encouraging civil servants, entrepreneurs, market women, owners of private facilities, artisans, hoteliers and students to be enrolled for the scheme to enable the government achieve Universal Health Coverage.”
