UNICEF Calls For Comprehensive Health Insurance Access For Children

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on stakeholders and governments at all levels to ensure effective coverage and priority of children generally in health insurance schemes program.

The Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Okorie, made this known in Akure on the sidelines of the South-West Regional Health Insurance Conference organised by the DAWN Commission.

The theme of the conference was “Attaining Universal Health Coverage through a Strengthened Health Insurance Scheme.”

Mr Okorie stressed the importance of the conference which emphasised the need for regional integration of health insurance that cut across the whole region.

According to him, UNICEF is also advocating more investment that will allow adequate healthcare for children, no matter their location in the region.

“What about the children on the streets, in orphanages; children who are in schools; in those schools where their parents are not covered, are the children covered?

“So, we need to bring in all mechanisms and stakeholders together to locate children wherever they are and cover them with health insurance.

“Now, to be able to do that, it means all stakeholders must come together; government must effectively fund the health insurance, the equity component of it,” he said.

The specialist lauded DAWN Commission for providing the opportunity for states to share their various experiences and learn about each other’s progress.

Earlier, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State said the programme was relevant to the aspirations of the people of the region, regardless of their social or economic status.

Aiyedatiwa said that a robust health insurance system would ensure that no one was forced into poverty because they fell sick.

The governor, represented by the Special Adviser on Health, Similoluwa Odimayo, said that states could learn from each other’s successes and challenges

“The states learn by sharing best practices and building a stronger, more resilient health system for the people.

“For health insurance to be truly effective, it must be accessible, affordable, and trusted by our people.

“We must work together to address barriers to enrollment, particularly among those in the informal sector, rural communities, and vulnerable groups.

“We must ensure that the benefit package is comprehensive and that services are delivered promptly and with dignity,” he said