The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) recently organized a town hall meeting to increase the uptake of health insurance in Ekiti State. The event was held on the 20th of April, 2023, at the Koltotel in GRA, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The town hall meeting was aimed at increasing health insurance coverage in Ekiti State, and it had several objectives, including creating awareness on the benefits of health insurance, fostering dialogue between stakeholders, and agreeing on strategies for increasing health insurance penetration.
The meeting was attended by 85 participants, including representatives from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Ekiti State Health Insurance Scheme (EKHIS), Ekiti State Ministry of Health, and other government agencies. Also present were members of civil society organizations, media, market women groups, and persons with disabilities.

Dr. Olarenwaju Ayo Oloyede, a Manager at the NHIA, Ekiti State Office, explained the regulatory role of NHIA and its various health insurance benefit packages. He was followed by Ogunyemi Oyeyemi, the Director (Planning, Research and Statistics) at EKHIS, who explained the social health insurance scheme in Ekiti State and the status of its implementation. Ibiyemi Omotayo, the Business Development Manager (South West) at ProHealth Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), spoke on the products and services of HMOs and ways to enroll for health insurance coverage.

Participants gained increased awareness and knowledge of the benefits of health insurance and the process of enrolling for coverage. Some even expressed interest in enrolling for health insurance coverage immediately after the meeting.

All participating organizations pledged to disseminate the knowledge gained from the town hall meeting to members of their various groups. The Christian Association of Nigeria pledged to step down the message to other leaders in their organization, while the market women groups promised to enroll for health insurance coverage and spread the word to other women in the markets. Media participants promised to use their various media platforms to increase awareness and sensitization on the benefits of health insurance, and civil society organizations promised to step down the knowledge gained to other members of their organizations and networks.