Pensioners laud Osun health insurance scheme

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Osun State chapter, has described the enrolment of its members in the Osun Health Insurance Scheme by Governor Ademola Adeleke as a lifesaver. According to the union, the enrolment had reduced the death rate among pensioners and eased their financial burden, especially in the face of rising medical costs across the country. The Adeleke administration enrolled 20,000 pensioners in its health insurance scheme free of charge in 2025 in a bid to ensure they have access to quality healthcare services. In a statement shared with The PUNCH on Wednesday, the Osun NUP Secretary, Lawrence Aina, said the policy had afforded retirees the opportunity to access quality health services. He said the monthly pension received by members was not enough to cover feeding, let alone medical bills, noting that the health insurance scheme had provided significant relief for pensioners and their families. Aina said, “Twenty thousand pensioners were enrolled. We monitored the number and saw that it was accurate. We are grateful to the Governor of Osun State because our people are really enjoying quality medical services through OHIS. “Presently, some of our members who are yet to be captured have been going there one by one, and the government has been accommodating them on the issue of free healthcare. “It is true that initially, when it started, they were covering all minor illnesses, but now certain percentages are being paid for people who undergo surgical operations. “However, we are still appealing to the government to help us so that it can pay the full charges for any operation requested by a patient.” The NUP scribe added, “Before now, there were some people receiving N350, N500 or N750 monthly, and it was difficult for them to seek medical treatment. “But when the present government added N25,000 to what we were earning, it gave us some relief. It even reduced the death rate among our people. So, we are thanking the governor for what he has done.” A retiree, Kolawole Koleosho, speaking with newsmen on the success of the policy at the NUP headquarters in Osogbo, said that since enrolling in the health insurance scheme, he now used his pension mainly to feed his family. He described the health insurance scheme as a major welfare package for retirees and commended the governor, urging him to sustain the initiative.