Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Oyo State government on Thursday expressed its readiness to sanction any erring Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) that fails to provide the necessary service for any of the subscribers to its health insurance scheme. 

Executive Secretary, Oyo State Heath Insurance Agency (OSHIA), Dr. Olusola Akande, said this while stating the implementation plan of the health insurance scheme. 

He said this was necessary as part of the quality assurance strategies put in place by the agency to ensure that subscribers of the heath insurance scheme get optimum value.  

It would be recalled that Governor Abiola Ajimobi  on May 25, 2017 flagged off the insurance scheme with the aim that every resident of the state has access to good health care services.   

Akande who said the agency had identified about six HMOs for the program, stated that any HMO that fails to provide the necessary services for the subscribers in the program aimed to cover all residents of the state would be penalised. 

He said, "The law is robust enough to protect each citizens, to protect HMO, the agency and all categories of the citizens. 

Any HMO that defaults, any HMO that fails to comply will face sanction."

He described the new initiative, health insurance scheme as a system of polling together a pool of fund to take care of the sick in the state.

According to him, each subscriber to the scheme will be entitled to enjoy treatment for malaria fever, typhoid fiver, and common ailments and surgical operations such as caesarian, road accidents, orthopaedic cases, ward admission for 21 days in any of the facilities and medical check up once in a year.  

Akande added that under the scheme, vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children under five will be entitled to enjoy medical care at no cost, stating that the bill would be paid by the state government. 

Speaking on the vision of the agency, he said, "A responsive and responsible government agency committed to ensuring universal coverage and access to affordable and quality care so as to improve the health status of citizens of Oyo State especially those participating in various intervention programmes and products of the scheme". 

He said the agency was formed in order to facilitate reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure on health, provide financial risk protection and cost burden sharing for people of the state through pooling and judicious utilisation of financial resources. 

"The agency has deployed modalities to renovate at least 99 PHCs and equip them with modern equipment to facilitate quality healthcare delivery.

Job opportunities exist for at least 99 medical officers, 99 pharmacists, 198 nurses and 198 midwives and other cadre of health workers", he stated.