The Oyo State Government says it will enroll 37,500 indigent persons, including old people, children below 5 years and pregnant women, under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to enjoy free basic health services in government hospitals across the State.

Oyo Health Commissioner, Dr Taiwo Ladipo, speaking at the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) training for implementers of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in Oyo town, said the enrolment will last three months.

The development comes after the State met the preconditions for the fund to increase resources for health and extend PHC services to all Nigerians.

According to him, the fund, which is being disbursed through the State’s Primary Health Care Development and Health Insurance Agencies and Emergency Medical Treatment gateway, is an opportunity that must be tapped into.

He said: “It is the best opportunity that we can ever have. It is expected that the downtrodden will be taken care of, cut down out-of-pocket spending on health and importantly, the reorientation of services across the hospitals and health facilities across the state.”

Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr Muideen Olatunji, stated that healthcare financing, including out-of-pocket spending, is a major obstacle to ensuring health for all and it is being addressed through health insurance.

He declared: “The health insurance would provide the required funds to make the health services move forward. This will be implemented with additional fund from PHC and will resort into having qualitative healthcare service delivery for the citizenry.”

Speaking on the development, OYSHIA’s Executive Secretary, Dr Olusola Akande, said the training had 99 participants, including all medical officers at the LGAs, 33 health educators and chairmen of the Ward Development Committees, and will ensure that the right people are enrolled into the scheme for the next one year.

“Healthcare delivery is cardinal to the heart of the Oyo State Governor. If we fail in enrolling the indigent and the poor of the poor into the scheme, we have failed,” he added.