Edo health scheme to enroll 1m by 2021 – Obaseki

The Edo Health Insurance Scheme plans to enroll no fewer than one million persons  in the state at the end of 2021, out of which, 15 per cent will be vulnerable persons, Governor  Godwin Obaseki  said Tuesday .

He stated this at a summit organised by the scheme with the theme “Health Insurance for All:
Policy, Process and Framework: Developing All-Inclusive Coverage” in Benin.

The governor said the focus was to make healthcare accessible and affordable to people in the state on a sustainable basis.

He added that “with about 200 million people in the country, it is unrealistic to fund healthcare from the budget.

“We are moving away from that mode where healthcare is predominantly funded by government and encourage private participation.’’

He said that funding healthcare was a critical aspect of the Edo Health Improvement programme.

Obaseki noted that two per cent of the state’s federal allocation would be set aside for the programme.

He stated further that “with the work being done by the Edo Health Insurance Commission, achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was possible.

“We are improving healthcare access through investment in facilities and equipment, training of personnel and digitalising our health services.”

The Edo commissioner for health, Dr Patrick Okundia, said the summit was to get stakeholders’ input into the development of a
blueprint for effective implementation of the state health insurance scheme.

Dr Nathaniel Otoo from Ghana who spoke on “Health Insurance and Reforms: A growing Trend in Africa”, commended the Edo state government for the political will to run a health insurance scheme for its citizens.

He said for the scheme to be efficient and sustainable in the state, there should be information sharing among healthcare providers and
health maintenance organisations.

 Director General of Edo Health Insurance Commission, Dr Rock Amego, said that the vision of the commission was to get about 50 per cent of citizens enrolled into the scheme by 2024. (NAN)

Leave a Reply