The Ondo State Contributory Health Commission (ODCHC) has announced that its health equity scheme has facilitated the delivery of over 18,305 babies since its inception six years ago.
According to Dr. Abiodun Oyeneyin, Director-General of the commission, out of the total births recorded, 5,107 were delivered via cesarean section. Additionally, the scheme achieved 436 twin births, 11 triplet births, and two quadruplet births.
Speaking at a press conference in Akure, the state capital, to mark the 6th anniversary of ORANGHIS in the state, Oyeneyin emphasised that the commission, under its Abiyamo Scheme, has recorded over 55,557 beneficiaries, including pregnant women and children under five years of age to date.
While noting that the commission has covered 203 Orphans, 2,517 people with disabilities and 404 Sickle cell warriors across the state, Oyeneyin said, “Medical services, including renal dialysis (18 Beneficiaries currently have regular sessions), have been provided with over 1368 intermediate and major surgeries performed so far.
He added that “From October 2021, we have enrolled 82,662 Vulnerables across 203 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund Programme (BHCPFP ‘Ilera Loro’ Scheme). The vulnerables consist of widows, elderly, women of reproductive age group and children under five years.
“For Orange Health Insurance Scheme (ORANGHIS) till date, 103,738 enrollees (Public servants and their dependants) currently have access to medical care in their chosen hospitals and over 1368 surgeries have been performed in less than three years.
To date, we have paid capitation to all our facilities and claims for secondary services are also being paid as due. Our team of competent and dedicated staff are working tirelessly around the clock to ensure seamless provision of quality healthcare services to our teeming enrollees.
“I hereby use this medium to inform all public servants that they are also not supposed to pay any money for all the covered services. Under ORANGHIS, there is also no co-payment. We are not unmindful of some of the challenges with some of our providers on the issue of out-of-stock drugs and the shortage of healthcare workers. Deliberate steps are being taken to address these issues, and we have seen massive improvements in recent times.
“With the flag-off of ORANGHIS for the Informal Sector, I enjoin all residents of the state to take advantage of this laudable initiative of the government to prevent financial hardship while seeking qualitative healthcare services. Our goal is to increase our coverage by one million enrollees in the next two years.”
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Prof. Simi Odimayo, disclosed that the government has continued to strengthen the health sector, ensuring the completion of the 250-bed hospital in both Akure and Ondo.
Odimayo said the government efforts have attracted the first-ever “federal teaching hospital, a full-time teaching hospital that is going to be commissioned in the next two or three weeks.”
