Oyo Includes People Living With HIV In Health Insurance Coverage, 905 Enrolled With NIN, 33,062 Receiving Medical Care
The Oyo State Government has commenced the process of enrolling people living with HIV into the state’s health insurance scheme as part of efforts to expand access to healthcare for vulnerable residents.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Adewumi Ajetunmobi, disclosed this while speaking at a stakeholders/Partners’ meeting in Ibadan, explaining that beneficiaries are required to have a National Identification Number, NIN, as part of the registration process.
Ajetunmobi said, “Talking of people living with HIV, as part of registration now, they need to have NIN. So with NIN now, close to about 905 people have registered and have been passed over to the insurance agency to be able to look into them and bring them on board, as many as they can.”
She explained that the initiative is aimed at bringing more people living with HIV under the health insurance scheme and enabling them to access healthcare services through available insurance packages.
According to her, the registration process is part of broader efforts to ensure that vulnerable residents are covered under the state’s health insurance programme and can access necessary medical care without financial barriers.
Meanwhile, Dr. Folake Adurogbola, Head of Office, AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, APIN, Oyo, disclosed that 33,062 people living with HIV are currently receiving medical care in the state.
Adurogbola gave the figure while speaking with journalists at the event, noting that the beneficiaries are currently accessing medical care across the state, and even coming down all the way from the northern part of of the country to avoid stigmatization.
The development is said to be part of ongoing efforts by the Oyo State Government and relevant health sector partners to improve access to healthcare services for people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups.
The government is expected to continue working with relevant agencies to process the registration of eligible beneficiaries and bring more people living with HIV into the state’s health insurance coverage.