The Director-General of the Edo State Health Insurance Commission (EDOHIC), Dr. Augusta Ikpea-Enaholo, has highlighted the healthcare interventions of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration, saying its support for health insurance and public healthcare facilities is helping to improve residents’ access to affordable medical services.
Ikpea-Enaholo made this known in Benin City while assessing the administration’s performance as Governor Okpebholo marks two years in office.
She said the governor’s commitment to residents’ welfare was reflected in efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent people, particularly vulnerable residents, from receiving necessary medical attention.
According to the EDOHIC chief executive, the administration’s healthcare approach goes beyond constructing or renovating health facilities to providing financial support that enables residents to access essential services.
She explained that the state government had continued to provide the necessary support to public health centres to improve service delivery and address barriers that could prevent residents from receiving care, with particular attention to women and children.
One of the major interventions she highlighted was the restoration of health insurance coverage for pensioners who had previously been excluded from the scheme.
Ikpea-Enaholo recalled that after bringing the matter to the governor’s attention, he immediately directed that the affected pensioners should be attended to, insisting that people who had devoted years of service to Edo State deserved access to healthcare.
Quoting the governor, she said: “His Excellency said these are people who have worked so hard for the Edo State we are enjoying today, and they must be attended to. This speaks loudly to the kind of person our Governor is. He is a man who looks out for everybody.”
She further disclosed that the governor’s intervention extended to enrollees who require additional financial assistance after exhausting the benefits available under their health insurance plans.
According to her, the governor has consistently directed the Commission to provide assistance to such individuals, demonstrating the administration’s determination to prevent financial limitations from denying residents access to necessary treatment.
The DG also acknowledged the contributions of the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Adams Oshiomhole, in supporting the Commission and advancing the state government’s healthcare priorities.
She expressed optimism that healthcare delivery would improve further in the next two years, particularly with ongoing renovation works at public health centres across the state. The projects, she said, were aimed at providing residents with more conducive and befitting facilities for medical services.
Ikpea-Enaholo also disclosed that the state government was exploring partnerships with corporate organisations, individuals, institutions and philanthropists to complement government funding and expand healthcare access to more residents.
On measures to improve the experience of beneficiaries, she said EDOHIC had intensified public sensitisation to ensure that enrollees understood their health insurance rights, entitlements and the services covered by their respective plans.
She explained that beneficiaries had been provided with benefit packages detailing the services available to them, while designated health insurance desk officers in ministries, departments and agencies across the state served as accessible contact points for enquiries and complaints.
According to her, the measures were designed to improve awareness, strengthen accountability among healthcare providers and ensure that enrollees received the services covered under their insurance plans.
The Commission, she added, remained committed to working with healthcare providers and other stakeholders to deepen insurance coverage and improve access to affordable healthcare throughout Edo State.
EDOHIC operates the Edo State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme, which is designed to provide residents with access to healthcare services while reducing the financial burden associated with medical treatment. The Commission’s published policy provides for access to covered services at assigned accredited facilities, with benefits and applicable co-payments determined by each enrollee’s health plan.
Ikpea-Enaholo said the progress recorded in the sector reflected the state government’s commitment under the SHINE Agenda to place residents’ welfare at the centre of governance and build a healthcare system in which access to essential medical services would not be determined solely by an individual’s financial capacity.
As the Okpebholo administration enters its third year, she reaffirmed EDOHIC’s commitment to consolidating the gains recorded so far, strengthening the health insurance scheme and ensuring that more residents benefit from accessible and affordable healthcare.
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