By Enitan Abel Johngold
The Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC) has enrolled close to three million residents into the state’s health insurance scheme, representing more than 50 per cent of the state’s estimated population of 5.6 million.
The achievement has placed Delta State at the forefront of health insurance coverage in Nigeria, according to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Olorogun Dr Isaac Akpoveta.
Akpoveta disclosed this while addressing journalists shortly after an oversight visit to the Commission by members of the Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Health, led by its Chairman, Hon. Ferguson Onwu.
He said the visit, which was the committee’s second oversight exercise at the Commission this year, was part of the statutory responsibility of the legislature to monitor government agencies, assess their performance, identify challenges and make recommendations for improved service delivery.
According to him, the committee was briefed on the Commission’s activities, achievements and challenges and expressed satisfaction with what it saw during the visit.
“The visit of the Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Health is an oversight visit. It is done sometimes twice a year, and this is the second visit this year.
“The purpose is to see how we are doing, our challenges and our positive outcomes. We have discussed with them, and they are quite happy with what they saw. They will also advise us on what next to do to achieve more,” he said.
Akpoveta described legislative oversight as a fundamental statutory responsibility of the House of Assembly, adding that the Commission appreciated the committee’s interest in its activities.
He expressed optimism that the positive findings of the committee would further authenticate the achievements of the Commission before the people of Delta State.
The DSCHC boss attributed the Commission’s rapid expansion to the strong political and financial support of the state government, coupled with the commitment of its management and staff.
He said achieving the feat would have been difficult without the necessary resources and political backing.
“Even if you have all the dreams in this world and there is no finance to finance the dreams, you die in your dreams. The government has helped us politically and primarily,” he said.
Akpoveta added that the dedication of the Commission’s workforce had also been critical to its progress, noting that staff members were committed to completing assignments given to them.
He described the Commission’s operational strategy as robust and result-oriented, saying the collective commitment of the governor, board, management and staff had helped to drive the organisation towards its vision.
“It is a committed system right from the governor down to the board, down to the Commission, management and staff of the organisation. Everybody is ready to do his bit and pull together for a successful story,” he said.
Akpoveta also disclosed that Delta State currently occupies the number one position in population coverage under social health insurance in the country.
He said the Commission’s performance was showcased during the most recent Economic Summit organised by the state government, where the Commission’s exhibition stand was visited by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, alongside Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other dignitaries.
According to him, the Commission used photographic presentations and infographics to demonstrate its operations, achievements and impact on the people of Delta State.
He said the data showed that Delta had enrolled close to three million people out of an estimated population of 5.6 million, representing more than half of the state’s population.
Akpoveta explained that the Commission’s coverage had placed Delta ahead of other states, with the Federal Capital Territory following, while noting that some other states had operated health insurance programmes for considerably longer periods.
He said the Commission’s performance had also attracted recognition in national and international health insurance assessments.
More importantly, he said, the success of the programme was not merely about enrolment figures but about its impact on the health and wellbeing of residents.
He pointed to a sustained reduction in neonatal deaths, infant mortality and maternal mortality in Delta State since the programme began recording significant growth from 2017.
“The essence of the work of the Commission is not just about enrolling people. Why are we enrolling people? Why are we spending millions paying for their bills? What is the outcome on the life of Deltans?” he asked.
According to him, the available indicators demonstrate that increased access to healthcare is translating into improved health outcomes for residents.
Speaking on behalf of the Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ferguson Onwu, commended the Commission for what he described as its visible impact and innovative approach to healthcare financing and coverage.
Onwu said he was particularly excited about the Commission because its activities demonstrated continuity and measurable impact in the health sector.
He noted that the Assembly was not disappointed with the state government’s financial and other forms of support for the Commission.
“Anybody who comes here and sees what we have just seen on the slides will actually know that we mean business,” he said.
The lawmaker also commended the Commission for introducing innovative approaches to funding and expanding its operations, particularly its business-oriented initiatives.
He observed that while government funding remained important, the Commission could not depend entirely on government resources if it was to sustain its growth.
He therefore urged the management to continue developing alternative and innovative sources of support to strengthen the scheme.
Onwu further commended the state governor for responding positively to requests from the health sector, describing such interventions as evidence of cooperation among the various arms of government.
He stressed that the committee’s oversight activities were constitutionally backed and were not intended to harass or undermine government agencies.
“The oversight that we are doing is not the creation of anybody. It is the creation of the Constitution. Whether you like it or not, if you are a legislator, that is part of your responsibility. Making laws is just a part of it,” he said.
The committee chairman said the timing of the oversight visit was deliberate, coming ahead of the next budget cycle.
He explained that the information gathered during the exercise would assist the Assembly in considering the needs of the Commission during budget deliberations.
“When you do oversight like this and you present the issues, they will remain in our memory. We are going to project what we will do, and like I promised, there are my colleagues who are very ready to assist in what we are doing,” he said.
Onwu said the committee was also concerned about manpower, operational challenges and other areas requiring intervention.
He urged the Commission to sustain its innovations, staff discipline and efficiency, particularly its efforts to discourage absenteeism and what he described as the “step-out syndrome” among workers.
He also praised the Commission for its level of ICT compliance, describing it as one of the most technologically compliant agencies visited by the committee.
DSCHC seeks permanent headquarters, operational vehicles
Earlier, the Chairman of the DSCHC Board, Hon. Dr Austin Obidi, appealed to the Assembly to support the Commission in addressing some of its infrastructure and operational challenges.
Obidi disclosed that despite the Commission’s significant growth, its corporate headquarters was still being rented.
He appealed to the Assembly to lend its voice to the Commission’s efforts to secure a permanent headquarters, noting that the governor had indicated that land was not the major obstacle, with funding remaining the key challenge.
He also raised concerns over the age and condition of some of the Commission’s operational vehicles.
According to him, some of the vehicles used by the Commission’s management and field officers are between eight and 10 years old, creating difficulties for effective monitoring and advocacy activities.
He appealed for improved funding for the Commission’s vehicle fleet, stressing that the agency needed to remain present in communities, traditional institutions, town unions, markets and among artisans to effectively promote health insurance enrolment.
Obidi also called for stronger enforcement of the state’s health insurance law, particularly the provision requiring corporate organisations with more than 10 employees to provide health insurance coverage for their workers.
He appealed to the Assembly to assist in ensuring compliance with the provision.
He also urged the legislators to encourage major oil and gas companies operating in Delta State to support health insurance coverage for residents as part of their corporate social responsibility.
According to him, multinational and indigenous oil companies operating in the state could make significant contributions by sponsoring health insurance premiums for thousands of vulnerable residents.
He cited communities in oil-producing areas that continue to experience significant socio-economic challenges despite the enormous natural resources extracted from their environment.
Obidi also drew attention to the Commission’s indigent-focused initiative, known as the Indigent Early Adoption Scheme, and appealed to the Assembly to support its expansion.
Responding to the request, Onwu said the Assembly would examine the legal and policy framework governing corporate social responsibility and health insurance compliance.
He explained that an earlier attempt during the Seventh Assembly to introduce legislation providing a stronger framework for monitoring corporate social responsibility activities had not been concluded.
Rather than waiting for a fresh law to be enacted, however, he suggested that the Health Committee could facilitate direct engagement between the Commission and oil companies operating in the state.
He proposed a meeting where the Commission would present its proposals directly to the companies and explore ways of securing their support for health insurance coverage in their host communities.
Onwu said the committee would consider the proposal and communicate its next steps to the Commission.
The board chairman maintained that the Commission’s achievements had demonstrated the importance of sustained government investment and institutional support.
He said the Commission’s growing enrolment figures, improved health outcomes and national recognition showed that the state’s investment in contributory health insurance was yielding tangible results.
He urged the Assembly to sustain its oversight role while strengthening the Commission through appropriate budgetary, legislative and policy interventions.
The oversight visit ended with a tour of the Commission’s facilities by the lawmakers, led by Onwu, in company with Akpoveta, Obidi and senior officials of the DSCHC.
During the tour, the legislators inspected the Commission’s operations and received further briefings on its activities, innovations and performance.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a cordial working relationship with the Commission and supporting initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable and quality healthcare for residents of Delta State.