Osun sets up social health insurance scheme to save lives

The Osun State Government today disclosed its plans to begin a social health insurance scheme that would enable the people of the state to access quality healthcare delivery without financial impediment.

The newly appointed Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (O'HIS), Dr Niyi Oginni assured the people of the state that the scheme would be well managed to achieve its objectives.

Dr Oginniwho was former Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA) in the state said the scheme would enable people to receive quality treatment at the right time and prevent avoidable deaths among the people of Osun.

Speaking at a sensitization meeting to educate the media and civil society organization on the scheme, the Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Health, Dr Olu'Gbenga Oyinlola said the scheme was carefully developed to help the less privileged to get treatment in hospitals without facing huge medical bills.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr Lani Baderinwa urged the media to propagate the scheme so that the people of the state would key into it.

A nongovernmental organization, Health Finance and Governance and the National Health Insurance Scheme are providing technical supports to the state on the scheme to make it successful.

The Coordinator of HFG in the state, Mr Ismaila Abdulkareem also charged the media to enlighten the people of the state to partake in the scheme.

One of the facilitator at the sensitization, Dr Funto Ogundapo while presenting an overview of the health insurance scheme said provision of quality healthcare delivery is a right of the people and urged them to participate actively in the scheme.

Funtoexplained that the scheme will prevent the burden of catastrophic health expenditure and encouraged the people of the state to access quality healthcare at the appropriate time.