The Oyo State Executive Council on Monday said it has made the
enrolement for its health insurance compulsory for all civil and public
servants in the state.
It stated that this decision was is in line with the provision of
Section 16, Sub Section 1 of the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency
(OYSHIA) Law of 2016.
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun
who made this disclosure in a statement made available to DAILY POST
explained that the compulsory enrolment of all civil and public servants
from level 1 to level 12 will be the Standard Plan with Eight thousand
naira (N8,000) as premium per annum, inclusive of N200 registration
service while from level 13 and above will be on the Standard Plus plan
of Thirteen Thousand, five hundred Naira (N13,500) premium per annum.
Arulogun said that the executive council also approved the compulsory
enrolment of all students of Oyo State institutions on Students’ Plan
with a subsidized premium of N2,800 per annum.
He said that the state government will also demand certificates of
health insurance or evidence of same from individuals, groups, companies
or institutions that intend to do businesses with Oyo State.
Arulogun stressed that such businesses shall include but not limited
to Registration of Hospitals and Allied institutions, schools and allied
institutions, premises and companies, vehicles and all forms of
procurement and supplies, Renewal of Certificates and license,
Application for certificates of occupancy, rents and allied
applications, saying that health insurance certificate shall also be
part of pre-requisite to access loan or similar funds from Bureau of
investment by individuals and cooperatives societies.
He said “The payable premium by these enrollees, Public and Civil
servants in the services of the state and local governments as well as
students in the State Tertiary institutions will be directly deducted by
the State’s Ministry of Finance and other relevant institutions, as the
case may be, for direct remittance into the account of the Agency on
Monthly basis as stipulated in section 19 (4) and 36 (1) of OYSHIA Law
2016.”
He explained that the health insurance scheme was meant to alleviate
poverty through significant reduction in “out-of-pocket” expenditure on
health by residents of the State and making quality healthcare
affordable and accessible to every resident of the state.
Arulogun disclosed that the OYSHIA has taken delivery of medical
equipment worth Seventy Four Million, One Hundred and Twenty Nine
Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira (74,129,800.00) that would be used, adding
that drugs and consumables have also been supplied to 42 OYSHIA
accredited public facilities (both Primary Health Centres – PHCs and
State/General Hospitals).
He further maintained that 21 private facilities were also accredited
to participate in the scheme, saying that there was an on-going
renovation of accredited PHCs at no financial cost to the government
which demonstrates that health insurance will ultimately reduce
government expenditure on health and fast-track the development of
health sector.
He said that Caesarian section had been done under the scheme for 15
enrollees without any out of pocket payment, bringing immediate impact
to the quest to reduce maternal mortality rate in the state.