Osun Residents Urged To Embrace Health Insurance

…As ES Rolls Achievements

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The Executive Secretary of Osun Social Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Adeniyi Oginni, has called on residents of the state to key into the Osun State Health Insurance Scheme for effective and affordable medical services

Dr Oginni made the plea while fielding questions from Journalists in his office in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state .

He explained that the scheme had in the recent time helped a lot of people especially the vulnerable persons the opportunity to access affordable and good healthcare services at a minimal cost.

He said since the scheme is aimed at providing equal opportunity for the poor and the rich, there was the need citizens to take the advantage so as not to be left out .

Giving the breakdown of the enrollment of the people into the scheme, Dr Oginni said no fewer than 167,000 have been enrolled. He added out of this total figure 127,187 are from the vulnerable population.

He said: “We have enrolled about 167,000. 127,187 are from the vulnerable population which the government of the state has given money for. In the last year’s budget, they gave us 50% of the budgeted amount to take care of the health care need of the vulnerable.

“We have this 127,187 individuals in the single vulnerability list of Osun state. From there, we are doing validation to ensure that only those who are valid as vulnerable can get it. We have validated 120,000 and then in the civil service we already have the list of 17,260 that have been sent to us whose data have been validated and we are in the process of producing Identity cards for all of these people. Service delivery has already commenced particularly for the vulnerable.

“Go to LAUTECH and ask for Ramota Adetunji. She is an indigent, very poor person who because of N1000 ran into a burning house and she got her hands burnt. She has since then been receiving treatment under the health insurance scheme at lautech teaching hospital, they also go to the state hospital Ashubiaro.

“The woman that just finished her cesarean session with the scheme. She is receiving treatment, she is registered and a member of the formal sector and also receiving treatment.

“Also,members of the informal sector, lautech staff and other persons who have already received their cards under OHIS have gone to the facilities and have gone to receive treatment so for now all of these are in place and I’m glad to also let you know as deductions of 1.5 percent of basic salary of the formal sector worker are been deducted.

He further explained that the government of the state is also added its three percent as the employer’s contribution to the premium of the workers.

“However, we are still having the challenge in the local government to pay up their own three percent for their workers and aside from that there two percent contributory revenue budgeted in 2019 as equity grants.

“The government of the state has released 50 Percent of that to us and that is what we are using to ensure that we give care to everybody but the local government neither released their budgeted two percent revenue.

“When we are talking about support, you are more or less talking about buying. It is for their own good. It will interest you that the aleki of ileki on December 26, 2019 bought premium for ten people in his own community.

“He paid N120,066 per annum and they will receive all the benefit package. You will have been told that the deputy governor, Benedict Alabi is paying for 300 people that would be receiving treatment in Ikire. Aside from that, there are individuals, about 65 of them who have bought personal premium to participate in the scheme. We have sponsors from both individuals and political leaders. Religious leaders, We have done sensitisation but we have not really followed up to find out their own commitment.

“One of the innovative ways of local religious sensitisation is for us to get to those places and let them know the need to be their brother’s keeper and to pay money for those people who are indigent their congregations and this is part of what Jesus Christ taught us to do and I’m sure Mohammed also taught the Muslims to be their brother’s keeper. The family of six would pay #57,600. We started in January last year and it was supported by UNICEF to organise an advocacy meeting for a paradigm shift from free health services scheme which is contributory and that was well attended by all the stake holders.

“So, we are established by law. We have developed all our processed manuals, rotational guidelines gone for the Teeship programme and gone for all other sector programme in the health insurance corporations.

“We have engaged third party administrators, both HMO and non HMO TPA’s administrators who are involved in enrollment of the people and marketing of our skill. Also, the HMO TPA’s are also involved in the management of claims in the management of policy insurance and also publicity marketing, enrollment of the citizen into the scheme.”