By Adeniyi Adedeji, Ilorin
10,000 indigent citizens of Kwara State are to benefit from the state free Health Insurance Scheme, the governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, has said.
The helath insurance scheme is part of the government’s efforts to bring health care delivery to the doorsteps of the rural populace, the governor emphasized.
Disclosing this on Friday, at the launch of phase one of the sheme AbdulRazaq , tagged: ‘Go Alive’ (Access To Care), Governor AbdulRazaq pointed out that to this effect, government had upgraded the existing facilities at both primary and secondary health institutions in the state.
He said, “The launching today of this health insurance scheme is a direct response of the administration to the goal of the SGDs, which is access to good health and well-being of the populace.
“We are starting this scheme by onboarding at least 10,000 indigents as a test run. These indigents have had their premium fully paid; this means the health insurance is 100 per cent free for the indigents and we hope to enrol many more indigents in the coming years.”
The governor expressed his belief that “health insurance scheme boosts life expectancy of our people, promotes good health, and ultimately strengthens the economy.”
He added, “It has the potential to prevent families from sudden fall into poverty as a result of unforeseen health crisis. The insurance scheme takes care of basic health issues before they become complicated.
“Studies have shown that most of the health issues found in secondary and tertiary health institutions arose majorly because they were not tackled on time.”
Cmmending partners of the scheme for their support and the leadership and staff of the health sector in the state for their hard work, AbdulRazaq pleaded with “compatriots” in the formal and informal sectors, who are to pay a token as their own premium to enrol in the scheme, saying that it is cheap, affordable, and accessible; adding that it is supported by a carefully selected functional facilities and committed medical experts in the state.
In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter, said, “The launch of the scheme provided one of the most sustainable and long term solutions to addressing our existing and future health challenges.”
The scheme she said, would make basic health care available and accessible to every inhabitants of the state, irrespective of their socio -economic class; through public-private participation of health care providers.
She pointed out that this would include the public and private facilities saying, “We are well on our way towards achieving universal health care in Kwara State.”
She therefore urged the people of the state to take advantage of the scheme so as to allow them have access to quality and affordable healthcare delivery.
