By; ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, has said that his administration plans to boost health services in the state with the establishment of 63 primary healthcare centres in each of the 21 local government areas in the state.
Speaking at the flag off and commencement of free health insurance scheme under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in Kogi State in Lokoja midweek, the governor was optimistic that the gesture would boost health delivery in the rural settings.
The governor expressed delight over the success so far recorded in the enrollment of civil servants in the formal sector healthcare plan and the enrollment of vulnerable and indigent populations in the state under the basic healthcare provision fund.
The occasion marked the launch of access to healthcare for thirty-two thousand enrollees in the formal sector healthcare plan; forty-one thousand five hundred and eighty-seven enrollees in the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and the launch of the 10-year strategic plan of the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency.
Governor Ododo commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support for the government and people of Kogi State through the provision of a basic healthcare provision fund to cater for the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“Mr President has shown trust, confidence, and belief in the capacity of the younger generation, and this has provided a stable platform for the Kogi State government to deliver good governance to the people of the state” and elated Ododo said.
“We cannot thank Mr President enough for the various interventions in health, especially at the primary healthcare level through the Basic Healthcare Provision Funds (BHCPF), aimed at meeting the healthcare needs of the vulnerable and indigent Nigerians.” Ododo added.
Commending his predecessor Yahaha Bello for the bold initiative to set up the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency, he said that the audacious efforts of the immediate past governor have become the solid foundation for the development of access to healthcare by a reasonable spectrum of the population of the state.
“I will also like to appreciate His Excellency. Alh. Yahaya Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State who took the bold and decisive steps to establish the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency against all odds” said Ododo.
He acknowledged the huge investment made in the health sector that has provided a solid foundation for us to build on to improve our health system and secure a healthier future for the good people of Kogi State.
He assured that his administration will continue to consolidate on the giant strides achieved in the health sector by expanding access to healthcare and
revitalising the primary health care centres across the state for improved service delivery to the people of Kogi State.
In his remarks, the state commissioner for health, Dr Adams AbdulAzeez Adeiza, stated that the launch of the access to care programme in the state will mark the end of out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare in Kogi State.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Secretary, Kogi State Health Insurance, Dr. Aledare Adekunle, said Kogi State has made a good start in the journey to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with about 122,046 already enrolled in the access to care programme in the state.
He assured that the agency will continue to implement its key strategies as documented in the 10-year strategic plan to achieve 60% coverage of the state’s population in the next 10 years.
