The Ondo State Government on Tuesday in Akure gave out N34 million to 46 residents of the state in tackling various sicknesses battling with them.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, who gave out the cheque,said that the beneficiaries were indigent and unable to take care of their medical bills.
Ajaka explained that the medical assistance programme received a request of about N230 million from various people, adding that Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa approved N34 million for the programme due to paucity of funds.
He stated that the procedure for benefiting from the special programme was to write formally to the state governor or the commissioner.
“ The procedure is to write to Mr. Governor of Commissioner for Health for medical assistance.
“ There is a medical board of inquiry that will sit on all of this and consider everything. And it comprises of surgeons , nephrologist, seasoned administrators and the members from the civil society organization too.
“You come with your medical reports. It must be a medical report from your doctor or the institution that treated you or that’s treating you.
“ The board will invite you to come and defend what you’ve written or your request.
“So, it is a very transparent thing and not a situation where we do favoritism or any other thing.
“So, we appreciate Mr Governor.Mr Governor is compassionate. He empathized with the people and approved this. That’s what we’ve given them today. And we implore them (2:12) to use it for their health, not for any other thing,” he said.
The commissioner called on residents of the state to key into health insurance scheme of the state to cater for their medical needs.
“We are advising everybody to get into the health insurance scheme. That’s what’s being done in the civilized world.
“That’s how everybody can access health without any financial barrier. So, it’s important that we are appealing to everybody. By the time we go into this, we will see the benefit,”’he said.
Ajaka appealed to people of the state to consider the governor that was doing a very wonderful thing and vote for him to return as a governor to continue to do the good thing.
In his remarks, Mrs Modupe Momoh,one of the beneficiaries, appreciated the state governor for the gesture which she described as life-impactful.