4,265 babies born under ‘Abiyamo’ health insurance scheme — Ondo gov

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has disclosed that no fewer than 4,265 babies have been born under the state’s Abiyamo Maternal and Child Health Insurance Scheme (AMCHIS).

According to the governor, the scheme, which was the brainchild of his erstwhile boss, the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in 2022, was designed for pregnant women and children under five years of age to prevent maternal mortality in the state.

While disclosing that plans had begun to construct a cancer healthcare centre in the state, Aiyedatiwa, who spoke through his Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, and his Special Adviser on Health, Prof. Simi Odimayo, in Akure, the state capital, said that of the 4,265 babies, there were 380 twins, 10 triplets, and two quadruplets who were all delivered under the scheme.

He said: “Implementation of the Abiyamo Maternal and Child Insurance Scheme (Abiyamo Scheme)—fully funded by the Ondo State Government—covers pregnant women and children under five years of age as vulnerable. To date, the Abiyamo scheme has recorded over 46,741 beneficiaries (pregnant women and children below five years of age).

“Total deliveries: 4,265; twins: 380; triplets: 10; quadruplets: 2; and all services are provided at no cost to the beneficiaries.”

On healthcare financing, Aiyedatiwa said the establishment of the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission aimed at ensuring universal health coverage for citizens of Ondo State, which has led to 56,700 enrollees across 203 wards in 18 LGAs of the state.

“Beneficiaries include widows, the elderly, people with disabilities, vulnerable women of reproductive age, and children under five.”

According to him, to date, 101,017 enrollees (public servants and their dependents) are fully covered under the Orange Health Insurance Scheme (ORANGHIS) for all public servants in the state. Over 460 surgeries have been performed in less than two years under ORANGHIS.”

He added that the Orange Health Insurance Scheme (ORANGHIS) for the state’s informal sector had been flagged off, and over 4,000 artisans, market women, farmers, commercial transport operators, and private sector workers across the state, among others, would benefit from the scheme.

He said, “Massive recruitment of health professionals across all levels of care: primary, secondary, and tertiary; training of 120 health workers on new and childhood illness management; training of 130 health workers in 2024 across 65 facilities in 18 LGAs on clinical and self-breast examination; training of primary healthcare workers on mental health; and regular payment of health workers’ salaries.”

On his part, Prof. Odimayo said, “Regular payment of full hazard allowance for health workers; approval and commencement of new entry points of GL. 13 and 10 for doctors and nurses, respectively, as against GL 12 and 10, were the norm.

“This will attract most health professionals to the state and checkmate the exodus of existing ones; approval and commencement of full CONMESS for doctors in the state; and establishment of DHCMA with commencement of full operationalization in September 2023—this aims at providing quality and affordable drugs to Ondo State residents.”

“He also revealed that the ministry massively distributed free drugs and health commodities worth N100 million to secondary and tertiary health facilities/institutions across the state in March 2023.”