Dr. Olubunmi-Jetawo Winter, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency, revealed that Governor AbdulRazaq has contributed a total of N428 million as counterpart funds to facilitate the participation of indigent individuals in the health insurance program.

Dr. Winter made this announcement during an interview with journalists in Ilorin, where she discussed various efforts to enhance the agency's operations and impact.

The Executive Secretary shared insights from an interactive session that brought together key stakeholders, including Kwara State First Lady, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRazaq, officials from the National and Kwara State Health Insurance Agencies, healthcare service providers, and sponsors.

The participants deliberated on strategies to strengthen healthcare financing and reduce the healthcare burden on vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.

Dr. Olubunmi-Jetawo Winter emphasized the importance of bolstering advocacy to attract more sponsors who can support the health needs of indigent individuals. The goal is to promote accessibility to subsidized healthcare services across the state, ultimately achieving universal health coverage.

Highlighting the progress made in the health insurance initiative, Dr. Winter mentioned that the enrollment numbers have significantly increased since its inception in September 2020.

The program initially began with 10,000 enrollees and has now expanded to over 70,000 individuals benefiting from the health insurance scheme. She anticipates further growth as civil servants and additional segments of the population become part of the program, projecting an additional 200,000 people.

Dr. Jetawo-Winter emphasized that financing health insurance involves collaboration among various stakeholders, including governmental bodies and sponsors. Subsidizing healthcare services is crucial to ensuring that a significant portion of the population, particularly those in poverty, can access affordable healthcare.

With about 30 percent of Kwara's population falling below the poverty index, the efforts to subsidize healthcare play a vital role in reaching those who require support. Sponsors play a vital role in identifying and assisting indigent individuals who might otherwise not have access to these critical healthcare services.

“So, these sponsors come in, pick up the population of people and pay on their behalf so they can have access to quality and affordable healthcare services,” she said.