Osun begins free health insurance enrollment for pensioners

VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update

Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday flagged off the free enrollment of Pensioners across the State into the Osun Insurance Health Scheme.

Governor Adeleke said the enrollment was a significant step towards promoting the well-being of the senior citizens in the State and to once again show his administration commitment to their welfare.

During the ceremony held at the State Secretariat, the Governor expressed a resolute commitment to prioritizing the health of all residents of Osun State, stating that the current government has invested a lot into the health sector.

Adeleke said, “Immediately after we were sworn into office, we conducted a situational review of the living conditions of our pensioners. We discovered that the critical problem facing our pensioners is not just unpaid pensions.

“Even when paid regularly, the bulk of these funds goes into managing various health challenges. Our report concluded that almost eighty percent of pensioners’ problems center around health.

“We opted to meet our senior citizens at this critical point of their needs. This is a direct intervention to prove that our government can indeed meet the desires and aspirations of the people.”

Adeleke also cleared the air that the recently launched N100bn infrastructure plan will not affect the welfare of workers and pensioners in the State.

“I want use the opportunity to allay the fears of workers and pensioners in the State that the funding for the recently launched infrastructure plan by our administration will have no negative impact on workers’ welfare.”

Abdulrasaq Akintunde Akindele, the Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency emphasized the support the Agency has been getting from Governor Adeleke administration.

He said the Governor has shown commitment and dedication towards ensuring that the Agency delivers on its mandate of providing quality healthcare to every resident of Osun.

“As of today, we have registered over 13,000 pensioners across the State and we have discovered that the total number of Pensioners are 23,000 and we’ll capture everyone. As we’re speaking here, registration is ongoing in some local government areas.” Akindele said.

The OSHIA boss underscored the significance of enrolling into the scheme, particularly for senior citizens in the State.

Salawu Ganiyu, the Osun State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, expressed gratitude towards the government of the State for their unprecedented support. He went on to acknowledge Governor Ademola Adeleke’s exceptional leadership, highlighting his active involvement in their elders’ programmes.

Salawu emphasized that the benefits extended by the governor transcended monetary value, as it granted them unrestricted access to essential healthcare services.

In his remark, the Special Adviser to Governor on Public Health, Dr Adekunle Akindele described the programme as one of many steps taken by Governor Adeleke to improve the healthcare of Osun residents.

Akindele highlighted the achievements of the present administration in the health sector in its one year.