Edo launches N1bn health insurance, covers pensioners, vigilantes

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has approved free health insurance for pensioners and the state’s Security Vigilante Network.

Rock Amegor, Director-General of the Edo State Health Insurance Commission, stated this during a press briefing in Benin City, the capital of Edo, on Tuesday,, adding that “Edo State Government aims to ensure quality and affordable healthcare by reducing out-of-pocket spending for beneficiaries and achieving universal health coverage,”

Acccording to the director general, the State governor’s initiative is commendable, just as he emphasised Government’s commitment to cover pensioners and vigilantes, allocating N1 billion for this purpose.

“”We want to thank the Governor of Edo State for this initiative and for being a pacesetter, as Edo State is the second state in Nigeria covering pensioners free of charge. I want to use this opportunity to call on all pensioners across the 18 local government areas of Edo State to take advantage and start enrollment as soon as details of enrollment come out”, he said.

He added that the digitalized system would facilitate the onboarding process for over 12,000 pensioners and 4,000 operatives starting December 21, 2023. The scheme already covers over 200,000 people, and the focus now extends to pensioners and those securing citizens’ lives.