Chioma Umeha

L-r: Dr Olusola Akande, Executive Secretary, Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA); and Ijeoma Agbo, Health Specialist, UNICEF at a two-day media dialogue on “Changing the Narrative on Child Mortality Through Health Insurance,” organised by the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency with the support of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ibadan, Oyo State, Wednesday. The Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA), the enrollment of students in the state's health insurance scheme has significantly reduced out-of-pocket expenses among them, thereby enhancing their access to immediate healthcare.  Students who become ill can now easily visit their institution's clinic or sick bay for treatment. Disclosing this was Dr. Olusola Akande, Executive Secretary of OYSHIA, who noted that the premium for the health insurance scheme goes as low as N13,500 per annum for each person in the State, adding that the informal sector is also accommodated and allowed to pay every month. Akande

  Some participants at the two-day media dialogue on “Changing the Narrative on Child Mortality Through Health Insurance,” organised by the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ibadan, Oyo State, Wednesday. • Oyo To Register 500,000 Informal Sector Persons In 2024 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has urged comprehensive implementation of the health insurance scheme to address the issue of maternal and child mortality, while lessening the financial strain of healthcare costs on at-risk families. UNICEF stated that the high costs associated with medical treatment discourage individuals and families from seeking timely and necessary healthcare services, thus increasing the risk of child mortality. Experts at a two-day media forum in Ibadan, titled 'Changing the Narrative on Child Mortality through Health Insurance,' stressed the need for increased advocacy and awareness on importance of  health insuran