Bayelsa Earmarks N500m For Workers Insurance

Civil servants in Bayelsa State are to enjoy insurance schemes.

To this end, the  Bayelsa State Government says it has earmarked the sum of N500m to start up the scheme.

Governor Seriake Dickson who stated this at Government House while receiving the report of the State Health Committee said the scheme would cover all civil servants in the state’s payroll.

Hon.Dickson declared, “this is a project that we are very passionate about and that is the state health insurance policy. I have been informed you have talked about it.”

“I hope that your recommendations and findings in that regard are exhaustive but we intend in no distant time to set up a technical committee to undertake the drafting of the legislation that will support the health insurance scheme.”

“We feel that we should not allow our people to bear the brunt of healthcare. It is never done in any decent society. Our people in this state deserve the support of government in terms of health care provisions and particularly they need to know that if they fall ill and do not have money, their government has a programme that will come to their aid.”

The Governor noted that some members of the technical committee would be drawn from the health committee due to their experience and expertise in the health sector would also be involved in the implementation of government programme on health.

According to him, all civil servants are expected to key into the proposed scheme and pay only a token assuring that government’s contribution towards the insurance scheme will go a long way in ensuring its future sustainability as opposed to previous schemes in the state.

Acknowledging the fact that government did not declare a state of emergency in the health sector, Governor Dickson pointed out that government has invested massively in that sector with the upgrading of various health facilities across the state as well as the construction of standard general hospitals in all the 8 local government areas.

He also expressed government’s desire to ensure the early completion of the 350 bed Melford Okilo General Hospital, Yenagoa, construction of the Diagnostic Centre, upgrading of Diete Koki Memorial Hospital and Government House Clinic as places of excellence.

He therefore charged the committee to embark on the second phase of the assignment by touring all the communities to ascertain the capacity of Health centres and make appropriate recommendations on the way forward.

‘Government is desirous of providing functional health facilities in every community in the state, including living quarters for community health workers that will be posted to the areas’

Hon Dickson also called on the committee to make available raw data that will help government plan for the future in the health sector.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Health Committee and Commissioner for Health, Dr. Anapurere Michael Awoli had recommended the declaration of a State of Emergence in the Health sector due to its numerous challenges.

He said there was need for human capacity training, the development of a Cardiology Department and financing of the sector through the proposed State Health Insurance scheme.