Universal health coverage: UNICEF asks states to prioritise funding health insurance

THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called out to state governments to prioritise funding health insurance schemes, primarily towards ensuring that vulnerable persons, including children and pregnant women, get enrolled.

Dr Ijeoma Agbo, UNICEF health specialist, who spoke at the opening of a two-day media dialogue with the theme, ‘Changing the narrative on child mortality through health insurance,’ in Ibadan, Oyo State, said there is a need for the state government to ensure that the consolidated revenue towards paying premiums for vulnerable persons is released regularly.

At the dialogue organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme (OYSHIA), Dr Agbo said health insurance facilitates equitable distribution of healthcare resources and brings financial protection by reducing the burden of out-of-pocket expenses on individuals and families.

Agbo listed inadequate funding, poor awareness about health insurance and its benefits and infrastructural gaps in healthcare as some of the challenges of the scheme.

“Achieving universal health coverage is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the core of which talks about universal health coverage to ensure everyone has good health and wellbeing.

“One thing that has been a barrier to access to health insurance has been poor awareness and information. So, giving them information on its benefits is going to help us achieve universal health.

“Also, advocating for state governments to fund health insurance, primarily for the vulnerable, so that the premiums are paid, will ensure that everyone has access to health insurance, thereby reducing financial hardship regarding assessing quality health services.”

Executive Secretary, Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Olusola Akande, revealed in his presentation on ‘Social Health Insurance Scheme: The Situation in Nigeria’, that no fewer than 500,000 individuals would be insured in the state before 2024 runs out.

Dr Akande disclosed that the state government had committed more than N1 billion to the scheme in the state, adding that to ensure that Nigerians key into healthy insurance, there must be constant innovation for them to embrace it wholeheartedly.

He described health insurance as the best and only way to reach the vulnerable and urged residents to make use of the affordable health care insurance provided by the state government.

“What we are aiming at is to get as many people as possible on health insurance, leaving no one behind, including the poor, the rich and the rural and urban dwellers,” Akande said.

Earlier, UNICEF Communication Officer, Blessing Ejiofor, had said access to health insurance plays an important role in ensuring that children receive the timely health care they need to survive, thrive and become whoever they wish to be in life.

Ejiofor enjoined journalists to be active advocates by using their various channels and organisations to draw attention to the issue, to bridge the gaps in health insurance coverage for vulnerable populations.

Read Also: EFCC arrests IG user for cyberstalking commission’s chairman, Olukoyede