Over 25,000 women have benefited from Mother and Child health programme in Ondo — Akeredolu

Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

No fewer than 25,000 people have benefited from the Mother and Child health programme, otherwise known as “Abiyamo” designed for pregnant women and under-five children in two years in Ondo state.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, disclosed this on Monday during an interview with newsmen in Akure, saying the initiative was put in place by the state government in order to save lives.

Akeredolu, who spoke through the Director-General, Ondo State Contributory Health Commission, Abiodun Oyeneyin, said the present administration was committed to reshaping the health sector in the state.

Oyeneyin explained that Mother and Child hospital had been established in the three senatorial districts of the state in order to serve the people better.

He said, “in the Central Senatorial Zone, we have Mother and Child hospital in Akure and the UNIMED Teaching Hospital, Ondo town, and Akure complexes.

“In the Northern Senatorial Zone, we have General hospital and Specialist Hospital in Ikare-Akoko. While in the Southern Senatorial District we have General hospital in Ore, State Hospital in Okitipupa and one in Igbokoda and that is what we have been doing.

“It is an improvement on what we use to have during the previous administration which was called ‘Abiye’ and if you remember, at that time only two hospitals, so people need to traveled from long distances before they can come to Mother and Child hospital in Akure and Ondo town.

“But Governor in his own wisdom, said we need to take health services closer to the people. For pregnant women, the governor also made it very easy for them by providing ‘Card Igbeayo’ which is free of charge and they will not pay any amount under the scheme.”

Oyeneyin who said health was a fundamental human right and a critical indicator of human development and a global priority, hence the present administration has decided to accord it it’s pride of place.

According to him, all possible means would be made in order to reshaping the state health sector by creating a sustainable funding mechanism that lowers the financial barriers to healthcare for the citizenry.

He, however, said State Contributory Health Commission was established as an agency that coordinates, supervises and regulates all Health Insurances to ensure residents are fit and healthy by mitigating financial barrier to affordable and qualitative health care in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Oyeneyin said “by providing budgetary provision for the vulnerable groups in our midst starting from the pregnant women and for children under age five, government made fund annually available for their premium such that all pregnant women and children under age five enrolled under the ‘Abiyamo’ maternal scheme.

“This means you don’t need to pay when you need to access care at the designated mother and child hospitals across the three senatorial zones. This is what we have been doing since it was flagged off by the governor in December 3rd, 2019 and till today we have 25,000 beneficiaries.

“And in order to make it very easy, for the people to be able to enjoy the benefit, designated hospitals were chosen across the three senatorial zones so that people doesn’t need to travel long distances before they can have access to care”

He also disclosed that the state government had recently designed a new scheme for public servants in the state, as part of Akeredolu’s
administration commitment to a qualitative, improved and accessible health care system for the citizens of the state known as “Orange Health Insurance Scheme”.

“This was flagged off by the governor on the 27th September, 2022 and this is to cater for all public servants because governor is very mindful of the welfare of workers in Ondo state, he want them to be productive and healthy so that they will be useful for the state and for themselves.

“For government workers, we offered them a family plan, so if you’re a government worker, that earn about 60,000 in a month, that means you’re going to contribute less than N1000 per month which will be deducted from the salary.

“This will cover the principal, the spouse and four biological children under age 18, so if you look at the total number of public servants we are looking accumulatively at least 120,000 people.

“For the formal sector, we had a meeting with artisan groups and they have close to 400,000 people that they want to bring on board, we have market women across all the 18 local government areas, we are going to partner with them because they have data base that is already automated,” Oyeneyin said.