The Federal Government has praised Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki for unveiling the Edmakeo State Social Health Insurance Scheme, set up to make healthcare less costly and accessible to the people of his state.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, revealed this in a keynote address at the official launch of the Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the revamped Primary Healthcare Centers under the Edo State Health Improvement Programme, at Ofunmwengbe in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Dr. Osagie said BHCPF will part with N573m to make sure Edo people enjoy essential services after the details are broken down and the healthcare system starts to function.
His words, “The fund is disbursed to states equitably and on per capita basis using a poverty index determined by the World Bank.”
“This will guarantee that the BHCPF will reach the deserving population and reduce inequality in access to health services, particularly by the vulnerable. Public health emergencies and other emergency medical services shall also be addressed through the fund.”
“The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is committed to its mandate of improving the health and productivity of Nigerians in its commitment to human capital development, consistent with national goals in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). His desire is to lift 100 million Nigeria out of poverty in the next 10 years.”
Governor Obaseki also said, “The bulk of money that accrues to the state is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Edo State through quality health and education. We are spending more than 50 per cent of our recurrent expenditure on healthcare and education.
“Edo Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) will enable us to deal with health challenges in the state. This means a total revamp of our entire health system from basic to secondary and specialist care. Edo-HIP is comprehensive,”
“We have set-up in Information Communication Technology (ICT) system to help capture information and pass it to a central database. The information gathered will be used for referrals. All over the world, healthcare services are not cheap but affordable, which is achieved by pulling resources together.
“We have established a Health Insurance Agency in Edo State backed by law for every citizen, as it is now compulsory for every Edo citizen to have health insurance. You will be given a card that will enable you to access healthcare in the state provided you are enrolled. For civil servants and local government workers in Edo State, they will be compulsorily enrolled into the scheme from January 1, 2020. Finance will not hold citizens back from getting quality healthcare.”
“You will not be attended to in General Hospitals without a referral from your PHC.”
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