OHIA Laments Low Enrolment From Informal Sector

THE Osun Health Insurance Agency (OHIA) has lamented that there is low enrolment of the informal sector in the scheme.

Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Razak Akindele, who stated this during a media parley in Osogbo on Monday, said the level of acceptance of the scheme by the informal sector was not encouraging. 

He, however, promised that the scheme will increase its awareness particularly at the grassroots for people to understand the benefits of keying into the programme. 

Akindele also called on politicians to key into the programme by providing health insurance for their constituents. 

He said: “OHIS has nothing less than two components to it. The formal sector and informal sectors and the vulnerable. We do not seem to have any problem with the formal sector as the law establishing OHIS made it compulsory for all civil servants to be enrolled.

“But the problem we have is the acceptance of the insurance scheme by the informal sector and I would say the level is still very low. 

“One of the things we intend to do is to increase the awareness in the informal sector of the benefits of insurance. We would engage associations, organisations, market women and those at the grassroots to let them know the benefits of keying into the program. 

“For instance, if you pay N12,060, you are covered for the whole year and whatever ailment you have, you can go to the hospital. It is better than waiting till you have problems before you run to the hospital. 

“We will also engage the politicians and encourage them to insure the health of their constituents. When politicians invest in health, they would be doing a lot of service to our people.”

Speaking on the excesses of some service providers, Akindele who noted that some facilities were having genuine challenges, saying the agency will not hesitate to sanction any facility found culpable. 

“Some of these service providers have genuine challenges. We are going to work with them to alleviate these challenges for our people to access good health.

“However, if we find anybody that after the support that the agency is providing, still defaulting, we will invoke appropriate sanctions on such facility,” he added.