State health insurance certificate now needed to get govt contracts in Oyo state
While democracy and the Nigerian Constitution offer freedom to citizens, this is not entirely so in Oyo state where the government had announced that enrollment for its health insurance scheme is mandatory for largely everyone it has access to their money, even those that are already covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) via their spouses or voluntarily.
This action, many insurance experts believe, is an executive attempt to drive enrollment for the scheme which is widely unpopular and wouldn’t achieve much enrollment if it were made to be voluntary.
Earlier this month, the government of Oyo state through the Oyo State Executive Council announced that it is now compulsory for civil and public servants in the state to enroll for the state government’s health insurance scheme. While there were concerns over the legality of such action by the state government, the Executive Council said its decision is in line with the provision of Section 16, Sub Section 1 of the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) Law of 2016.
According to the directive, civil and public servants from level 1 to level 12 will be on the Standard Plan with Eight thousand naira (N8,000) as premium per annum inclusive of N200 registration /service while from level 13 and above will be on the Standard Plus plan of Thirteen Thousand, five hundred Naira (N13,500) premium per annum.
In addition, students in Oyo state government-owned institutions will be compulsorily enrolled on Students Plan with a subsidized premium of N2,800 per annum.
To further drive enrollment, the state government said it will demand certificates of health insurance or evidence of same from individuals, groups, companies or institutions that intend to do businesses with Oyo State.
The State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun stressed that such businesses shall include but not limited to Registration of Hospitals and Allied institutions, schools and allied institutions, premises and companies, vehicles and all forms of procurement and supplies, Renewal of Certificates and license, Application for certificates of occupancy, rents and allied applications, saying that health insurance certificate shall also be part of pre-requisite to access loan or similar funds from Bureau of investment by individuals and cooperatives societies.
Arulogun said “the payable premium by these enrollees, Public and Civil servants in the services of the state and local governments as well as students in the State Tertiary institutions will be directly deducted by the State’s Ministry of Finance and other relevant institutions, as the case may be, for direct remittance into the account of the Agency on Monthly basis as stipulated in section 19 (4) and 36 (1) of OYSHIA Law 2016.
He explained that the health insurance scheme is meant to alleviate poverty through significant reduction in “out-of-pocket” expenditure on health by residents of the State and making quality healthcare affordable and accessible to every resident of the state.
The commissioner disclosed that the OYSHIA has taken delivery of medical equipment worth over N74m that will be used at accredited centers, adding that drugs and consumables have also been supplied to 42 OYSHIA accredited public facilities (both Primary Health Centres — PHCs and State/General Hospitals).
Arulogun stated further that 21 private facilities were also accredited to participate in the scheme, saying that there is an on-going renovation of accredited PHCs at no financial cost to the government which demonstrates that health insurance will ultimately reduce government expenditure on health and fast-track the development of health sector.
He said that Caesarian section has been done under the scheme for 15 enrollees without any out of pocket payment, bringing immediate impact to the quest to reduce maternal mortality rate in the state.