Residents of Edo State, including pensioners, civil servants, market traders, and other beneficiaries of the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EdoHIS), face losing access to affordable healthcare as hospitals withdraw from the programme.
The withdrawals are reportedly due to Governor Monday Okpebholo’s failure to remit the necessary premiums to service providers, jeopardizing the scheme’s sustainability.
The health insurance programme, launched in October 2019 by former Governor Godwin Obaseki, aimed to provide high-quality healthcare while reducing out-of-pocket expenses for residents. The initiative, which covers nearly 500,000 people in both formal and informal sectors, has been a lifeline for many, including vulnerable groups such as physically and mentally challenged individuals, poor pregnant women, orphans, and young children.
However, recent developments have placed the programme at risk. At least four hospitals have opted out of EdoHIS, and the largest service provider has threatened to follow if payments are not resumed. Observers fear that the progress made under the previous administration could be undone, leaving the state’s most vulnerable citizens without access to essential medical services.
A retired civil servant battling hypertension and arthritis expressed deep concern about the situation. Speaking anonymously, he said: “I don’t know how much longer I can live without affordable healthcare. The new administration has disrupted the progress we made, and now I can’t afford the costs on my own.”
A petty trader at Oba Market shared a similar sentiment, recalling how EdoHIS saved her family during a critical moment: “EdoHIS was one of the best things to happen to this State. To abandon it is to abandon the people.”
She added, “I gave birth to my second child as a beneficiary of the scheme. My son was delivered through surgery, and after spending four days in the hospital, our total bill was about N365,000. However, I was only required to pay 10 percent of the total cost. Sadly, that happy story episode has ended in Edo, not just for me but for countless other women who can no longer afford quality healthcare services. It’s quite unfortunate and disappointing. We must commend the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki for being that visionary leader who made this possible during his time. Without him, we wouldn’t have known that such out-of-pocket health financing was possible.”
As the crisis deepens, the fate of EdoHIS hangs in the balance, leaving many to wonder if the state’s healthcare system can recover.