By Kemi Olatunde

To ensure an improved health insurance scheme in Ondo State, a four-day technical training session has been organised for staff of the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission (ODCHC).

Speaking at the event, which was organised by the ODCHC in collaboration with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) on Tuesday in Akure, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, stated that the training aimed to enhance health financing activities with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. He added that it would boost staff understanding and capability to mobilise resources for healthcare development.

He commended the Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for launching the Orange Health Insurance Scheme (ORANGHIS) for the informal sector. He stressed the need to strengthen the ODCHC staff to meet their targets and effectively mobilise resources to benefit residents.

He also advised participants to make the most of the training to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge.

The Director-General of ODCHC, Dr. Abiodun Oyeneyin, in his remarks, noted that the training was crucial given the significant tasks ahead for the commission.

While thanking the development partner, CHAI, for its support in building staff capacity, Dr. Oyeneyin reiterated the commission’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities to meet the healthcare needs of residents.

The State Lead for CHAI, Mr. Olumide Ayedun, lauded Governor Aiyedatiwa for providing a conducive environment for development partners in the state.

He highlighted several contributions made by the organisation to the state, stating: “We have supported the State Ministry of Health to enhance the state health financing landscape and built the capacity of staff at the State Primary Health Care Development Agency on gender-inclusive programming strategies and intervention design.”

In his goodwill message, a representative of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Abuja, Mr. Agboola Olasukanmi, emphasised the importance of capacity building, describing it as a vital step towards delivering quality healthcare to residents. He urged participants to learn from the exercise to achieve their objectives.

Also present was the Ondo State Coordinator for NHIA, Mr. Ayodele Babatunde.

In her presentation, a State Team Member for CHAI, Mrs. Ruth Adetokunbo Adeniyi, described organisational capacity assessment as a systematic tool used to measure an organisation’s overall capacity. She explained that its objective was to assess the institutional readiness of the state health insurance agency to deliver gender-responsive insurance programming.

According to her, the assessment would help develop a useful reference document for development partners and other key actors interested in strengthening the agency’s capacity.