As a demonstration of its commitment to make affordable healthcare accessible to residents of Edo state, the state government under the leadership of Godwin Obaseki has put plans in top gear for the launching of the state’s compulsory Health Insurance Scheme.
The launching of the Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) will take place on Thursday, October 31 along with the opening of 20 primary Healthcare Centres revamped by the Obaseki-led administration under the Edo State Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP). The event is billed to take place at at the Ofunmwengbe Primary Healthcare Center in Okada, Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state.
According to The Nation, a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie reads in part: “The State Government has recorded a number of achievements in the health sector, which includes rehabilitation of the 20 primary healthcare centers in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state; enactment of the compulsory Health Insurance Law to reduce out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare and the repair and opening of the Edo Specialist Hospital.
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Others include training of over 500 midwives, nurses and community health extension workers on best practice for care delivery and establishment of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) and Infectious Disease Isolation Center.”
The focus of Edo-HIP, according to The Nation, is to strengthen the primary healthcare system; provision of access to specialist care for most common ailments and healthcare financing to ensure the system is effectively run.
It was gathered that the source of the funding for the healthcare coverage are the basic healthcare provision fund and equity fund while some of the benefits for those registered on the plan include, “Antenatal care; referred antenatal care to secondary healthcare facility; ultrasound in pregnancy; induction of labour; normal delivery and post-natal care; caesarean section in secondary healthcare facility and management of eclampsia, maternal sepsis and newborn sepsis.”
“Others are child OPD treatment (children under 5 years); referred child treatment to secondary health facility, treatment of severe acute malnutrition; immunization; malaria treatment in adults; chronic disease screening; family planning; emergency stabilization and emergency ground transportation.”
Source: The Nation
Samson Oyedeyi
