10,000 Indigents to Benefit from Kwara Health Insurance Scheme

By Hammed Shittu

No fewer than 10,000 indigents of Kwara State have benefited from the state health insurance scheme as part of the move by the government to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the rural populace.

Already, the state government has upgraded the existing facilities at both primary and secondary health institutions so as to make the programme achievable.

Speaking at the launch of the first phase of the scheme in Ilorin tagged: “Go Alive (Access to Care), the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the programme was a direct response of the administration to the goal three of the Sustainable Development Goal (SGDs) which is access to good health and wellbeing of the populace”.

He said: “We are starting this scheme by onboarding at least 10,000 indigents as a test run. These indigents have had their premium fully paid, this means the health insurance is 100 per cent free for the indigents and hope to enroll many more indigents in the coming years”.

He opined that the scheme will help boost life expectancy, promotes good health, and strengthen the economy.

“It has the potential to prevent families from sudden fall into poverty as a result of unforeseen health crisis. The insurance scheme takes care of basic health issues before they become complicated. Studies have shown that most of the health issues found in secondary and tertiary health institutions arose majorly because they were not tackled on time”.

While commending the partners of the scheme for their support, the governor urged the compatriots in the formal and informal sectors who are to pay a token as their own premium to enroll in the scheme because it was cheap, affordable, accessible, and was supported by carefully selected functional facilities and medical experts in the state.

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, Kwara State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter, said the launch provides one of the most sustainable and long term solutions to addressing existing and future health challenges.

She said the scheme would make basic healthcare available and accessible to every inhabitant of the state irrespective of their socio-economic class.

She therefore urged the people to make use of the scheme so as to allow them have access to quality and affordable healthcare delivery.