Cynthia Ezekwe
The federal government has unveiled plans to introduce a monthly N200 health insurance scheme for 37,000 women across the country. The initiative aims to improve women’s access to healthcare services nationwide.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the minister of women affairs, announced the plans during a press briefing in Abuja. She explained that the government would partner with PLUG, a microfinance bank, to facilitate the health insurance scheme, amounting to N2,400 per woman annually.
The minister further elaborated on the initiative’s plan to distribute 37,000 Point of Sale (POS) machines across Nigeria to facilitate access to the N200 monthly health insurance scheme.
According to Kennedy-Ohanenye, each state in the federation will receive 1,000 POS machines, ensuring widespread availability and accessibility for women nationwide. She also explained that these POS machines will not only enable women to conveniently pay the N200 monthly premium for healthcare insurance but also provide them with an opportunity to conduct business transactions.
The minister emphasised the importance of reaching out to various stakeholders, including traditional and community leaders, legislators, governors, state ministries for women affairs, and market leaders, to ensure the effective distribution of resources, particularly in rural areas.
“We are going to traditional and community leaders, legislators, governors, state ministries for women affairs and market leaders to distribute these things. In that way, the right people that can manage the business, even in the villages,will be included in what we are doing,’’ she added.
