Edo State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Obehi Akoria, has urged residents, who have been enrolled into the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to take advantage of the funding provision for indigent persons in the state to access quality healthcare services.

The commissioner noted with dismay the fact that fewer than 50 enrollees of the healthcare fund had benefited from the services since it became active in the state in 2021.

Akoria, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, explained that two of the three BHCPF gateways, to which the Federal Government commits up to one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, alongside counterpart funding from Edo State Government, are functional in the state.

She said: “These are the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (EDSPHCDA) and the Edo Health Insurance (EDHIC) gateways, respectively.”

Charging eligible residents in Edo State to take advantage of the funding, which is aimed at ensuring quality basic health care services and reducing out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare, Prof. Akoria said: “In the last couple of months, we have done extremely well in increasing enrolment into the BHCPF.”