The Oyo State Government has launched the enrolment of 10,000 basic school pupils into the state’s healthcare insurance scheme, aiming to provide access to quality and affordable healthcare for children.
The enrolment exercise was flagged off on Thursday at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Idi-Ape, by the state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, who emphasized the government’s dedication to ensuring pupils’ well-being for effective learning.
“This scheme will ensure that our children have sound minds while they learn in conducive environments. This event is a collective effort in securing a brighter future for the state’s pupils,” Lawal said.
The initiative covers pupils from 90 schools across 18 local government areas, with the deputy governor presenting Insurance Scheme ID cards to the enrolled children.
Speaking at the event, the Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, praised the Public Primary School Pupils Health Insurance Scheme, describing it as a vital step toward universal health coverage.
“This initiative reinforces our collective commitment to universal health coverage, ensuring that no child faces financial obstacles to accessing healthcare,” Lafoucriere said.
She added, “Universal health coverage is more than a healthcare goal—it is a social and economic necessity. When children have access to healthcare, they can focus on education, grow into productive adults, break the cycle of poverty, and contribute to the success of the state and Nigeria.
“This scheme exemplifies this by focusing on public primary school children, especially in hard-to-reach areas. With 90 schools already enrolled across 18 LGAs, our goal is to ensure all 33 LGAs in the state are covered, leaving no child behind.
“UNICEF remains steadfast in supporting the government and communities towards universal health coverage.”
The Chairman of Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB), Nureni Adeniran, commended the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) for their efforts and assured that the board would work hard to ensure the scheme’s smooth implementation and sustainability.
“At OYOSUBEB, we operate on the principle of taking care of the pupils under our care as though they are ours,” Adeniran said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of OYSHIA, Olusola Akande, described the healthcare insurance scheme as a new opportunity for public primary school pupils to access medical care.
“This is a new door being opened,” Akande said. “We are starting with 10,000 pupils, and this is just the beginning of many more to benefit from quality healthcare services.”
The government reaffirmed its plan to expand the scheme to cover all local government areas in the state, ensuring that every child has access to healthcare.
