The Ondo State Government says over 54,000 pregnant women and children under the age of five have benefited from the Abiyamo Scheme under the state’s Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
The Special Adviser on Health to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Akure, noting that the scheme provides free healthcare services to pregnant women and young children.
Odimayo described the Abiyamo Scheme as an advancement of the earlier Abiye programme. He explained that beneficiaries are registered into an insurance system that allows the government to run the scheme without owning medical facilities or incurring debt.
“Currently, we have about 54,000 people who have benefited from this. Thousands of Caesarean sections have been done for free. The programme is really advancing, and I want to encourage our people to embrace it,” he said.
He also highlighted the inclusion of the informal sector in the state’s contributory health scheme, describing it as an effort to enable people from all economic backgrounds to access healthcare services without catastrophic out-of-pocket spending.
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Odimayo commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for prioritising health and noted that the government had approved the employment of more staff across all levels of the health sector to meet the needs of residents.
He added that, in partnership with the Malaria Consortium, the state had distributed about 2.5 million insecticide-treated nets and provided free malaria drugs to combat the disease.
“All health facilities across the state have been strengthened with the necessary medical supplies to tackle malaria fever,” Odimayo said, emphasising the government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in Ondo State.