Bayelsa inaugurates health insurance policy

Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has inaugurated the state's Health Insurance Policy Development Committee, with a charge to articulate a comprehensive health insurance scheme for its citizens.

Inaugurating the committee in Yenagoa, Dickson urged it to determine the scope of health services to be covered by the scheme as well as terms and conditions for subscription by prospective subscribers.

The governor, who said that the health insurance scheme was mainly targeted at public servants, noted that the decision was taken in their interest.

He said: 'Let me assure you, the civil servants of Bayelsa State, that from the decisions we have taken, you will soon find out that they are ultimately in your best interest. We are coming up with robust policies that will cater for most of your needs and make life and living easier and better for you.

'What we have done here today by instituting this health insurance policy is just one of the many policies of our administration. We had talked about investing more in public housing and transportation for the public service.'

Civil Servants, he noted, stand to benefit as they are to pay minimal subscription and solicited their understanding and support for the scheme.

According to the governor, the Health Insurance Policy will be extended to non-government workers, who will be  at liberty to subscribe to it, and are expected to pay higher premium.

It will be recalled that N500 million had earlier been earmarked by the state government to kick-start the insurance policy.