It was reported Tuesday, 19 December that Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has approved the provision of free health insurance for pensioners in the state to cater to the health needs of the senior citizens.
Director-General of the Edo State Health Insurance Commission, Dr. Rock Amegor, said the free health insurance service would also cover operatives of the State’s Security Vigilante Network.
He restated the State Government’s commitment to ensuring quality and affordable healthcare delivery, noting that the service would mitigate out-of-pocket spending for the beneficiaries and facilitate the attainment of Universal Health Coverage for all residents.
Hailing the governor as a pacesetter, Amegor said the government has set out N1bn to cover the free health insurance service to the pensioners and vigilantes, among others.
He further said Edo is only the second state in Nigeria covering for pensioners free of charge and called on all pensioners across the 18 local government areas of the state to take advantage and start enrollment as soon as details of enrollment come out.
“The service covered is a robust medical care that can take care of about 70 to 80 percent of all medical challenges expected at one point in our lives and the services include medical, eye care and dental care, amongst other care,” Amegor said.
He said the Obaseki government has been digitalised “and most of our information, from September 1st, are now in our electronic system and we are lifting all the over 11,000 details we have gotten from our ICT and will verify those who are alive, relocated, those who need to update their profile”.
“After this, in the first quarter of next year, we will reach out to pensioners and allocate facilities closest to their houses. We need to scrutinise the details, as service has started for over 200,000 enrollees. So, to onboard the 12,000 pensioners into the scheme will not be difficult for us,” Amegor said.
He said the onboarding process for pensioners and vigilante operatives would start on Thursday, 21 December 2023 (yesterday), noting, “It’s in excess of about N1 billion for the coverage of 12,000 pensioners, 4,000 operatives of the Edo State Security Vigilante Network, and a top-up plan. The process will commence in the first quarter of 2024.”
This initiative by Governor Obaseki is indeed laudable. It espouses moral values fast going extinct in the country. These include sincerity, a conscientious and embracing model of leadership, care and civic conduct.
It comes at significant cost and brings succour to vulnerable segments of society often neglected and left to wallow in want and pain as ageing progresses.
Embracing pensioners, vigilantes and the like into the health insurance scheme free of charge brings significant benefits to these groups and likewise lifts the burden of responsibility in incapacity off the shoulders of their relatives.
This is as ageing increases the chances of contracting illnesses and falling ill. Having a health insurance policy to cover medical emergencies is most helpful, since the latter years of human life are physically and financially more challenging.
In retirement, when you don’t have a regular income source, you may experience medical emergencies that can become financial emergencies. And financial emergencies can lead to debt crisis. Having health insurance protects you from such situations.
Furthermore, this magnanimous act of love and conscience sends a resounding message to the youth in Edo State that the state government, under the leadership and inspiration of Governor Obaseki, is determined and working tirelessly to ensure that no one is left behind in the effort towards wellbeing and wellness.
