The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Idowu Ajanaku, has reaffirmed the Ondo State Government’s commitment to deepening public awareness of the state’s health insurance programmes, describing the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission (ODCHC) as a key driver of improved healthcare delivery.

Hon. Ajanaku made this known when the management of the Commission, led by its Director-General, Dr. Abiodun Oyeneyin, paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Information and Orientation in Akure.

He commended the Commission for its leadership, dedication and measurable impact on the health sector, while assuring it of the Ministry’s full support in public enlightenment, media engagement and advocacy.

The Commissioner noted that although promoting health insurance in Nigeria remains challenging, especially among people in the informal sector, sustained sensitisation and effective monitoring would help strengthen the scheme and improve service delivery.

He also pledged the use of government-owned media platforms, including radio programmes, to widen public understanding of the state’s health insurance initiatives.

Earlier, Dr. Oyeneyin explained that the Commission was established in 2019 to implement Ondo State’s compulsory health insurance scheme as part of the government’s broader health and social welfare reforms.

He said the agency plays a vital role in ensuring sustainable financing for healthcare and in supporting ongoing reforms in the health sector.

He disclosed that the Commission’s flagship Abiyamo Maternal and Child Health Insurance Scheme has recorded notable success since it transitioned from a free healthcare programme to an insurance-based model.

According to him, the scheme operates through nine facilities strategically located across the three senatorial districts of the state to ensure accessibility.

Dr. Oyeneyin said over 59,000 beneficiaries have been covered under the Abiyamo Scheme, including more than 5,000 women who have undergone caesarean section deliveries, leading to a significant reduction in maternal deaths.

He added that recent national health surveys ranked Ondo State among those with the lowest maternal and under-five mortality rates in the country.

He further revealed that through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, over 82,000 poor and vulnerable residents — including widows, the elderly, persons with disabilities, sickle cell patients, pregnant women and children under five — have been enrolled across all wards of the state, with beneficiaries receiving healthcare services without payment at the point of service.

On the ORANGHIS programme, Dr. Oyeneyin said public servants were integrated into the health insurance scheme in 2022, with more than 109,000 workers and their dependants currently covered.

He noted that thousands of enrollees access treatment and surgeries every quarter, while special government approvals have enabled the Commission to support specialised care such as cancer treatment, kidney care and organ transplants outside the state.

The Director-General added that the Commission has maintained prompt payment to healthcare providers since inception, boosting confidence among both public and private hospitals and improving service quality.

He said several tertiary and specialist hospitals across the state have also benefited from the Hospital Intervention Programme, which provides modern health insurance service centres.

While acknowledging the difficulty of enrolling people in the informal sector, Dr. Oyeneyin stressed the need for sustained public education to dispel misconceptions about health insurance and called on the Ministry of Information to intensify awareness campaigns on the benefits of the scheme and the state government’s achievements in the health sector.

In his closing remarks, the Administrative Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Lanre Akarakiri, thanked Dr. Oyeneyin and his team for their commitment to providing quality healthcare for residents of Ondo State, describing the Commission’s work as a major boost to the state’s healthcare system.