Ogun unveils health insurance scheme for formal sector

The Ogun State Government has launched a health insurance scheme designed for the formal sector, comprising civil servants, public servants, and workers in the organised private sector, as part of activities lined up for the 2024 Public Service Week.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, during the official launch of the scheme on Tuesday in Abeokuta, disclosed that his government would pay 50 per cent of the premium for every worker registered on the scheme.

Abiodun, who was represented by his deputy, Engineer Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said it was in the interest of the current administration to ensure the well-being and welfare of “the engine room” of the government, which is the public servants.

Speaking on the theme of the 2024 Civil Service Week, ‘Building a Socially Responsive Public Service in the 21st Century: A Place of Ethics and Values’, the governor said that the theme resonated deeply with the aspirations and ideals that the current administration has for the public service.

He said, “I hereby reassure all public servants that their well-being will remain a priority in the government’s development agenda, as demonstrated in our payment of a N100m counterpart fund, which has granted the state access to the Federal Government’s Basic Health Care Provision Fund since February 2020; the launch of the informal sector of OGSHIS in 2020; and the provision of a N100m takeoff grant for the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency in November 2020.

“Also, as part of palliative support in the health sector, earlier in the year, we released N310m as an equity fund to provide health insurance access to low-income residents of the state, part of which facilitated providing free surgeries to over a thousand residents. Additionally, we have released the sum of N324m to support 3,300 pregnant women in the state for free under the scheme tagged Ibidero. This includes covering their antenatal and postnatal care, as well as providing a N5,000 token after delivery.”

Abiodun emphasised that the success of the scheme was a collective effort, requiring close collaboration with health officials and stakeholders to ensure the system is effectively implemented, well-monitored, and continuously improved.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, noted that since close to 80 per cent of Nigerians pay out-of-pocket for healthcare, the majority of citizens are prone to the dire consequences of catastrophic health expenditures.

Coker encouraged residents of the state to take advantage of both the informal and formal sector schemes, emphasizing that these programs serve as financial risk protection against undue health expenses that could plunge individuals into extreme poverty.

The Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, in his welcome address, lauded the scheme, saying that it would improve access to healthcare delivery and impact positively on the well-being of the workforce.

Onasanya urged the workers to embrace the kind gesture of the government and ensure that the purpose of the programme was not defeated.

The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Hameed Ademola, described the governor as worker-friendly and conscientious of the welfare of workers, commending him for paying 50 per cent of the premium for every worker registered on the scheme.

He, however, pleaded with the government to ensure that the programme is consistent and sustainable, promising the union’s support toward the success of the scheme.