Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
EKiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has flagged off the State Health Insurance (SHIS).
Fayemi said the SHIS represents a continued way of ensuring quality healthcare delivery for the vulnerable citizens under the universal health coverage designed to give succour to the poor and needy for improved life expectancy.
He said with the step taken, government has prepared grounds that will prevent untimely death of the citizens on account of poverty, saying “act of insurance means getting ready or preparing for future emergencies.”
The governor spoke in Ado-Ekiti, on Friday, while flagging off the State Health Insurance Scheme(SHIS).
The governor said: “We are here to prepare for qualitative health delivery for our people, though we don’t pray to fall sick. This scheme will ensure efficient, effective and timely treatment of our people with no financial burden attached.
“The programme was initiated under our maternal healthcare delivery in 2010 and the objective is to guarantee universal healthcare coverage with no financial burden for our citizens.
“We are also sure that the SHIS will guarantee continued access to qualitative healthcare for all and prevent untimely death on account of poverty.
“With SHIS in Ekiti, nobody will be turned away from hospitals for not holding money. We are starting with pregnant mothers and children under age five. Other groups will be incorporated as they register.”
Fayemi said government has renovated 16 primary healthcare facilities across the state to kickstart the programme to reduce the burden of going several kilometres before approaching a facility for treatment.
“With SHIS, our people will not go bankrupt or die suddenly due to lack of finance to seek effective and quality treatments for any ailment.”
On the issue of COVID-19, Fayemi said: “We have worked hard in the area of curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a mobile molecular laboratories to carry out tests in all our local governments. We appeal to our people to keep to all outlined protocols to checkmate the spread.”
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Mojisola Yaya- Kolade, described SHIS as a long awaited health scheme that will povide easy access to quality healthcare across the 16 local governments.
Yaya-Kolade said the scheme will achieve the universal health coverage for Ekiti residents and prevent the incessant out-of-pocket payment by the citizens to get treatments in heath facilities.
“This scheme will bring about ready, early and effective diagnosis of diseases and ensure effective treatment at the right time.
“We are all gathered here to witness a programme that will improve and extend the lifespan of Ekiti residents. 30 days is usually the waiting days for you to start benefiting after registration, but it will be 14 days in Ekiti.
“Governor Fayemi has paid the counterpart funding despite the COVID-19 problem. For smooth take off, we have partnered some key bodies like WHO, NHIS, UNICEF, to work out modalities that can bring the best for our citizens.
“Despite the lockdown, about 10,000 mothers and children have registered. Governor Fayemi has also released a sum of N40 million to kick off the scheme and it covers children from 0 to 5 years,” she said.