The Oyo State Government, in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Thursday inaugurated a health insurance scheme for public primary school pupils.

The insurance scheme is a new initiative of Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA), supported by UNICEF, to improve access to quality healthcare for indigent children in the state.

Speaking at the occasion in Ibadan, the Executive Secretary of OYSHIA, Sola Akande, said that the scheme was aimed at providing access to healthcare for 10,000 public primary school pupils in the first instance.

Mr Akande noted that the new scheme, in addition to the existing models, such as tertiary students’ health insurance schemes and others, had given access to quality healthcare services to more than 250,000 residents of the state.

According to him, different health insurance schemes by the agency have reduced the citizens’ out-of-pocket expenditure to an average of 10 per cent from the current rate of 75 per cent.

“In effect, the purchasing power and quality of life of about 2.5 per cent of the residents of the state have improved through the activities of OYSHIA,” he said.

Also speaking, the chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, said that access to affordable and quality healthcare remained the fundamental right of every child.

Ms Lafoucriere said that the initiative reinforced UNICEF’s collective commitment to universal health coverage, ensuring that no child faced financial obstacles in accessing healthcare.

“Universal health coverage is more than a healthcare goal; it’s a social and economic necessity. When children have access to healthcare, they can focus on education, grow into productive adults, break the cycle of poverty, and contribute to the success of the nation. At UNICEF, equity is our guiding principle, ensuring equal opportunities for every child. This scheme exemplifies this by focusing on public primary school children, especially in hard-to-reach areas,” she said.

Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Nureni Adeniran, commended OYSHIA and UNICEF for considering indigent pupils as part of the beneficiaries of its various schemes.

He assured of SUBEB’s readiness to ensure the success of the scheme.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State Wing, Raji Oladimeji, said that the initiative would enhance quality healthcare and provide succour to the pupils.

Mr Oladimeji enjoined the teachers to continue to work hard to ensure that the state maintained its pacesetter status, particularly in the education sector.

Earlier, the state Deputy Governor, Adebayo Lawal, urged OYSHIA to double its efforts so as to capture many pupils across schools in the state within the shortest possible time.

Mr Lawal lauded UNICEF for its various interventions in the state, urging other non-governmental organisations to emulate the fund to ensure a sound mind for the children to face their studies. 

(NAN)