The Ogun State Government has unveiled a health insurance scheme designed for the formal sector - made for civil servants, public servants, and workers in the organised private sector, as part of activities lined up for the 2024 Public Service Week.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, during the launch of the scheme on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, stated that his government would pay 50 per cent of the premium for every worker registered on the scheme.

According to Abiodun, it was in the interest of the current administration to ensure the well-being and welfare of “the engine room” of the government, which is the public servants.

He said: “I hereby reassure all public servants that their well-being will remain a priority in the government’s development agenda, as demonstrated in our payment of a N100m counterpart fund, which has granted the state access to the Federal Government’s Basic Health Care Provision Fund since February 2020; the launch of the informal sector of OGSHIS in 2020; and the provision of a N100m takeoff grant for the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency in November 2020.

“Also, as part of palliative support in the health sector, earlier in the year, we released N310m as an equity fund to provide health insurance access to low-income residents of the state, part of which facilitated providing free surgeries to over a thousand residents.

"Additionally, we have released the sum of N324m to support 3,300 pregnant women in the state for free under the scheme tagged Ibidero. This includes covering their antenatal and postnatal care, as well as providing a N5,000 token after delivery.”

Abiodun emphasised that the success of the scheme was a collective effort, requiring close collaboration with health officials and stakeholders to ensure the system is effectively implemented, well-monitored, and continuously improved.