The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that his government has transformed the State’s healthcare system in the last seven years, making the State one of the top five in Nigeria in terms of healthcare delivery, life expectancy, and other key indicators in the healthcare sector.
The governor, who spoke to reporters in Benin City, said that the healthcare sector reform in the State is gaining momentum, as the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme has over 200,000 enrollees.
Obaseki said that his administration is decentralizing the State’s healthcare system, and boosting the primary healthcare system which is to be complemented by secondary, tertiary and specialist hospitals to offer holistic healthcare across the three senatorial districts of the State.
The governor said, “We have almost 50 primary healthcare centres that have been renovated and upgraded to global standards but it is not just about the centres. What we have done in the healthcare system that is groundbreaking is healthcare financing. Why do people not go to clinics or hospitals? It is because they are scared of the payment.
“But we have removed that and have introduced the Edo health insurance Scheme which is now mandatory. This means once you have registered, you can walk into any registered centres, either public or private to get healthcare. That is groundbreaking.”
According to him, “Today, Edo is among the top five States in terms of healthcare delivery, life expectancy, and other key indicators in the country’s healthcare sector.”
On plans for Edo’s healthcare system in 2024, Obaseki said, “We have allocated about 10% of the budget to address the needs in the health sector. This includes funds for the completion of the In-Patient Department and the Accident and Emergency Wards of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital. This will also cover more work across the Primary Healthcare Centres across the State.
“We are also making statutory payments for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and our own Edo State Health Insurance Scheme, which provides necessary incentive to attract more private sector providers into the State and also reduce out-of-pocket spending for health services.”