The Ogun State government announced a N200 million grant to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund as part of its commitment to taking advantage of the state’s health scheme.
Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, made the announcement on Thursday at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Kuto, Abeokuta, during the launch of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the start of the Informal Sector Health Insurance Scheme.
He noted that the formal launch of the health insurance scheme was another step toward capturing the crucial sector in social health safety.
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“While our administration will continue to ensure that Ogun State has an affordable and sustainable health care delivery system.”
“We must also make it easily accessible to all of our people.”
“It is for this reason that we have gathered here today to officially launch the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) as an effective gateway to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Informal Sector Health Insurance Scheme in order to improve the wellbeing, wellness, and welfare of the people of Ogun State.”
“The BHCPF is a social health intervention fund that aims to provide basic health care services to the most vulnerable people in society, such as pregnant women and children under the age of five, as well as the poor.”
“Let me assure you that with the formal launch of the BHCPF, basic health care services will be made available these are the categories of people who have been registered for free by the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency,” the governor said.
He did, however, explain that providing basic health care services without exposing the vulnerable in society to financial hardships necessitated the informal sector health insurance scheme.
He expressed hope that the program would serve as a financial buffer against any financial burden caused by high out-of-pocket expenses for health care services.
He expressed gratitude for the Federal Government’s social intervention programs aimed at improving people’s well-being.
Abiodun stated that the establishment of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the Informal Sector Health Insurance Scheme would amplify the benefits of the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan in Ogun State.
He went on to say that his administration would continue to collaborate with the FG across all sectors, improve policy formulation, and program implementation in order to sustain the Public-Private Partnership strategy, and that “relevant agencies in the health sector would continue to provide necessary skills and equipment for more efficient and effective service delivery.”
While praising the current administration for the initiative, Rt. Hon Olakunle Oluomo, Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, stated that the House would pass a bill to criminalize diversion of the scheme’s fund.
He advised the scheme’s agencies to allow their representatives to sell the scheme to members of the public, encouraging political office holders to embrace the scheme by paying for some of their constituents.
According to Dr. Tomi Coker, the State Commissioner for Health, the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency has accredited 236 primary health care facilities in accordance with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) guidelines, and funds have been disbursed into the State Treasury Single Account (TSA) at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
She also stated that a total of 26,440 beneficiaries have been enrolled in the program across Ogun State’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Prof. Nasir Sambo, Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, stated in his remarks that the federal government had disbursed over N28.7 billion to states and the Federal Capital Territory to meet the requirements for accessing the funds.
Sambo stated that the National Health Insurance Scheme assists state agencies with technical and operational issues, particularly in the areas of training, technology, and program development, in order to achieve universal coverage by 2030.
He also stated that the federal government was working on modern and comprehensive information technology through the ongoing ENHIS project.
Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, Chairman of the Ogun State Traditional Council of Obas and the Akarigbo of Remoland, expressed delight at the new development in the health sector, urging people to embrace the scheme in order to gain access to quality health care services.
