The Osun State Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA) says it has plans to enroll all pregnant women in the state in its health insurance scheme.
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Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr Razak Akindele, disclosed this on Thursday while fielding questions from newsmen in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
Akindele said pregnancy involves at least two people whose lives must be prioritized, adding that women in that condition must be accorded special attention.
The Executive Secretary who lauded Governor Ademola Adeleke for his positive attitude towards healthcare, noted that the Agency was finalizing plans with him to commence the free healthcare intervention for pregnant women in the state.
He said: “We have the intention of registering all pregnant women in the state in the scheme because pregnancy involves at least two people. It is something you must pay attention to and after nine months everybody should be happy.
“We have put that to the Governor and we are waiting for his approval to get all pregnant women enrolled so that they can get free treatment,” he added.
The healthcare specialist also disclosed that OSHIA in the spirit of inclusivity had begun discussions with people living with disabilities (PWDs) in order to get them enrolled in the health insurance scheme.
He said in order to further the cause of PWDs, the Agency would deploy sign language experts and interpreters to healthcare centres across the state to facilitate communication between them and healthcare professionals.
Akindele however decried the low enrollment rate among residents in the informal sector which he said stood at 13,462 subscribers, attributing it to little understanding of the benefits accrueable from health insurance.
He said the Agency would continue to educate residents of the state on the benefits of health insurance to individuals and families so that more and more of them would come on board.
He assured that OSHIA would intensify its already running awareness campaigns through the media and other channels to ensure that up to three million residents are on boarded in the near future.
