Osun State enrols 23,000 pensioners in health insurance scheme

The Governor of Osun state, Gov. Ademola Adeleke said that 23,000 pensioners in the state have been enrolled in the health insurance scheme. Adeleke, who made the disclosure during the unveiling of enrollment of the pensioners in Osogbo on Wednesday, said the retirees were enrolled free of charge into the state health insurance scheme.

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He said the scheme was to demonstrate the commitment of his administration to the wellbeing of the pensioners.

The governor added that the situation review of the living conditions of the pensioners in the state conducted by the government revealed that the bulk of their pension goes into managing their health challenges.

“I am here to again demonstrate in clear terms my commitment to the wellbeing of our retired citizens. These are men and women who meritoriously served the state. They deserve all the support now that they are out of service. Our administration conducted a situational review of the living conditions of our pensioners. We discover that the critical problem is not just unpaid pensions. Even when paid regularly, the bulk of the fund goes into managing health challenges. Our report concluded that almost 80 per cent of pensioners’ problem centers around health questions. It was at this point that we decided to address the root cause. We opted to meet our senior citizens at their point of needs. It is gratifying to note that this programme is the first of its kind. This is a direct intervention to prove that the government can indeed meet the desires and aspirations of the people. There are at least 23,000 pensioners in Osun. All of them will be enrolled into this scheme. Please take advantage of this by availing yourself for this enrollment,” he said.

Adeleke also said that the multi-billion naira infrastructure plan recently unveiled by his administration will not affect the welfare of workers and pensioners in the state.

“Allow me to allay the fears of workers and pensioners. The funding for the infra plan will have no negative impact on workers’ welfare. I have proved that fact today by launching this health insurance scheme for our pensioners,” the governor added.

NAN/WUMI