Osun APC accuses Adeleke of deceit in managing state-owned health insurance agency

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has accused the state Governor Ademola Adeleke of employing deceit in managing the affairs of the Osun State Health Insurance Scheme, OHIS.

This, the party alleged the Adeleke administration is doing to deceive the unsuspecting people of the state.

The Osun APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal who made this allegation in a statement issued on Tuesday added that OHIS which was the pride of the state has become a shadow of itself.

The party alleged that despite massive health support from the Federal Government and other foreign and local donors, the Osun government has been treating the sector shabbily with hospitals lacking drugs and the necessary consumables.

In the words of the state APC chairman: “Today, the agency is poorly funded as many of the hospital and health providers hitherto in contract or retainership with the agency are now disengaging in droves over lack of payment of deserving capitation.

“The question is why should the government of Osun offer pittance and unreasonable capitation to health providers when the federal government of Nigeria has paid on their behalf?

“In 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria gave a grant of N3,977,667,261.14 ( about N4bn) to the Osun State Government, part of which was to cater for the health insurance of the vulnerable citizens of the state. So why is the state government not funding the insurance scheme appropriately?

“Another deception of the state government over enrolment of pensioners and senior citizens on the Osun Health Insurance Scheme has also been unearthed as only N650 is the maximum capitation budgeted for each retiree to enjoy. Could N650 purchase a pack of paracetamol in the present economic situation? If this is not wickedness, what is it?

Lawal asked the citizens to make the governor account for all the aid, grants and federal allocations that have accrued to his administration in the last 19 months.

While asking the citizens of the state to also monitor the revenue coming to the state from the Federal Government and other donor agencies, he revealed that “in 2024, the state is expecting N42bn aids and grants from the APC Federal Government and other foreign and local donors. Part of the money is a grant from UNICEF to buy drugs and consumables to fight malaria and tuberculosis.

“These monies should be monitored before they are diverted for the prosecution of the 2026 governorship election”, the Osun State APC chairman cautioned.

However, the Executive Secretary, Osun Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Rasaq Akindele in his response disclosed that the total enrollees of the agency now stood at two hundred and sixty-seven thousand (267,000).

This is as he noted that the agency is viable and on the right track against the claims of the opposition APC in the state where it was stated that the agency has been bastardised by the current administration.

Dr Akindele made this disclosure on Monday while addressing journalists at the OSHIA Headquarters.

Speaking on the capitation payable to service providers, Dr Akindele disclosed that the agency has not defaulted, saying OSHIA pays the highest capitation and has the highest tariff in the whole of the South Western states.

He also added that what the agency has received from the current administration in terms of support exceeds what it has received since the creation of the agency.

“I am sure no sane person will say OHIS is underperforming. If you cannot see, you will hear, if you cannot hear, you will feel, even the dead would wish they were alive to enjoy the health packages under the people’s Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.”