Kwara State government has enrolled no fewer than 10,000 indigent residents of the state in the government’s health insurance scheme.
Speaking at the official launch of “Go alive” (Access to care) of the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency in Ilorin on Friday, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq said that the scheme is 100 per cent free, adding that the state had fully paid for the premium of the beneficiaries.
“The launching today of this health insurance scheme is a direct response of the administration to the goal three of the SGDs which is access to good health and well-being.
“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. We hope to enrol many more indigents in the coming years.
“I commend our partners for their support and the leadership and staff of the health sector in Kwara State for their hard work. I specifically commend the leadership of the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency for seeing this through. We are also proud of an administration to have made the necessary investments in that regard.
“Health insurance scheme boosts the life expectancy of our people, promotes good health, and ultimately strengthens the economy. It has the potential to prevent families from a sudden fall into poverty as a result of an 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.
“I, therefore, urge our compatriots in the formal and informal sectors — who are to pay a token as their own premium — to enrol in the scheme.
It is cheap, affordable, accessible, and is supported by carefully selected functional facilities and committed medical experts in the state.”
Earlier, Executive Secretary of the agency Dr.(Ms) Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter, hinted that affordable healthcare services of sufficient quantity and quality is the antidote to rising healthcare demands in the country.
She added that “the launch of the scheme today provides one of the most sustainable and long-term solutions to address our existing and future health challenges. This scheme will make basic healthcare available and accessible to every inhabitant of the state irrespective of their socio-economic class.”
