Oyo State Makes Health Insurance A Must For Civil Servants, Students

The Oyo State Executive Council on Monday said it has made
the enrolment 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 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.