Oyo State government has officially flagged off the enrollment of 10,000 basic school pupils into the state’s healthcare insurance scheme.
The children, enrolled from 90 schools across 18 local government areas of the state were presented their Insurance scheme ID cards on Thursday at the Ibadan Civic Center, Idi-Ape in Ibadan by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal.
Barr Lawal said the enrolment was part of the state government’s effort towards ensuring that its pupils are of sound minds, saying “This scheme will ensure that our children have sound minds, while they learn in conducive environments.”
The deputy governor also applauded the partnership between the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) and the Oyo state Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB) in providing healthcare opportunities to public school children in the state.
“This event is a collective effort in securing a brighter future of Oyo State pupils,” he said.
Barr Lawal also charged OYSHIA to double its efforts in extending the scheme to every school in the State, urging parents and guardians to key into the scheme.
In her goodwill message, the Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere noted that the launch of the Oyo State Public Primary School Pupils Health Insurance Scheme will give access to affordable, quality healthcare as a fundamental right for every child.
“This initiative reinforces our collective commitment to universal health coverage, ensuring that no child faces financial obstacles to accessing healthcare.
“Universal health coverage is more than a healthcare goal—it’s a social and economic necessity. When children have access to healthcare, they can focus on education, grow into productive adults, break the cycle of poverty, and contribute to the success of Oyo State and Nigeria.
“This scheme exemplifies this by focusing on public primary school children, especially in hard-to-reach areas. With 90 schools already enrolled across 18 LGAs, our goal is to ensure all 33 LGAs in Oyo state are covered, leaving no child behind,” Ms. Lafoucriere said.
She added that UNICEF remains steadfast in supporting the government and communities toward universal health coverage.
For his part, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi applauded OYSHIA and OYOSUBEB for their commitment towards healthy basic school pupils.
She assured the agencies of her ministry’s unparalleled commitment to the scheme.
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of OYOSUBEB, Dr. Nureni Adeniran applauded OYSHIA, pledging the Board’s commitment to the smooth take-off and sustainability of the scheme.
He added that the scheme would enable the beneficiaries to receive quality healthcare without paying exorbitantly to access it.
Earlier, OYSHIA’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Olusola Akande said the new measure is focusing on providing access to healthcare for 10,000 public primary school pupils in the first instance.
Akande noted that the agency will also commence enrollment of additional 5,500 pupils into the scheme from next week.
Akande also applauded UNICEF, through whose support the Agency has been able to improve on its awareness campaign and increased the communities under Community Based Health Insurance scheme by 100 percent.
