Stakeholders in the nation’s health sector have been urged to coalesce efforts towards strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The House of Representatives member representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1, Hon. Akin Rotimi, who made the call, said such would help more people to access quality healthcare systems.
He spoke after a two-day medical outreach tagged: “Ayewa Comprehensive Medico-Surgical Mission” separately held at Ikole Specialist Hospital and Oye General Hospital.
“I think this is a very important part of what we should be doing. We are also having about a 1000 people who will be included in the NHIS which will ensure that our constituents that are selected are able to access health care for the next one year, totally free of charge.
“A lot of our constituents have been ill and incurred costs in the hospitals and have not been able to pay. We are also going to be taking care of offsetting some of these bills for people”.
Over 4,000 constituents in the two towns benefited from the free medical outreach sponsored by the lawmaker and carried out in conjunction with Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Nigerian Medical Association (Ekiti State Branch), and Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti.
Some of the services enjoyed include Medical Consultations, Minor surgeries such as Lipoma Excision, Herniorrhaphies, Lump Excision, removal of foreign objects from Ear, Nose and Throat, among others.
The federal lawmaker stated that the initiative was part of his resolve to touch the lives of his people positively saying, “During the course of my campaign, I had six focal points and health is a very critical part of it because without health, there is nothing anybody can do.’’