Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has made a case for an effective and viable Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria to improve quality of life for Nigerians and attract investment to the healthcare sector.
The governor submitted a courtesy visit by the National Executive of the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.
The governor noted that priority must be placed on health insurance, noting, “We should ensure and emphasise on having a viable, effective and formidable health insurance system in Nigeria. It is only when we have this in place that we can begin to attract the requisite investment to the healthcare system.”
Obaseki said an important aspect of the healthcare system is prevention, noting that his administration is focusing on delivering quality healthcare at the primary level to ensure serious ailments are nipped in the bud.
He noted, “We are deploying resources to ensure we have a robust healthcare system at the primary healthcare level.”
The governor added that the government could provide quality healthcare services for the people when it explores innovative arrangements with the private sector to provide these services.
President of NARD, Olusegun Olaope, said members of the association were in Benin City for the ordinary meeting of NARD, adding that the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) had played a vital role in sustaining the group’s ideals since its establishment in 1978.
Olaope also commended Governor Obaseki for his developmental strides in the areas of infrastructure such as roads, schools, and healthcare, among others.
Meanwhile, the state government says the Obaseki-led administration will never sacrifice the state’s collective patrimony to gratify the insatiable greed of a handful of individuals who have constituted themselves into mischief-makers in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to blackmail the government and the party.
In a statement, Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie said no amount of divisive politics and falsehood employed by a few persons in the state chapter of the APC would discourage the Obaseki-led administration from delivering dividends of good governance to the people.
Ogie said, “Only a handful of individuals whose insatiable greed the governor has refused to entertain at the expense of the peoples’ collective patrimony have decided to employ malfeasant tactics to blackmail him, the government and the party. They have since been advised to accept the fact that the peoples’ interest takes precedence over their avarice and that is our final word to them.”
Ogie noted that the state gubernatorial election is almost a year and a half away and “Governor Obaseki’s focus is to work for Edo people who gave him the mandate and no form of distraction will dissuade him. There is no gainsaying that there is a general acceptance of Governor Obaseki and his approach to governance.
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He urged the dissenting persons to sample public opinion to measure how Governor Obaseki’s policies and programmes impact on the lives of Edo people, noting, “All that is needed to gauge public opinion is to walk through the streets in any part of the state. The revolution in basic education, transparency in governance and huge infrastructural projects are sufficient to erode the effect of any fake news or contrived controversy.
“Edo people restated their faith in Governor Obaseki when they voted en masse for the APC in the last House of Assembly election in the state, with the APC coasting to glory in all 24 state constituencies, a feat, never before achieved in our recent political history. The message was clear: Edo people want an APC-controlled Assembly to support the governor’s vision for the state.”
Ogie urged Edo people to disregard detractors and their planted stories and hogwash, adding that more than ever, the Obaseki’s administration is committed to their wellbeing.
“Our aspiration to create a state where all Edo people and residents can realise their dreams and place Edo State where it rightly belongs as a centre of the development is now within reach. So, for us as a government, we will continue to emphasise development, peace and unity to ensure a secured, prosperous future,” he noted.
