Metro
OHIS loses over 120 million naira to headquarters Invasion
Over 120 million naira worth of property was lost to the invasion, vandalisation and looting of headquarters of the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) on Saturday, 24th October, 2020.
Office equipment including electronics, ICT equipments, furniture medicines drugs carted away by hoodlums who attacked the agency was valued around 77.7 million naira.
The Executive Secretary of OHIS, Dr. Niyi Ogini disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists on the extent of losses incurred by the agency.
Recounting the ordeal, Dr. Ogini said “on the said day, rampaging hoodlums besieged the agency’s head office and OHIS Drug Distribution Centre (OHIS DDC) that share the same compound with the state central medical store which housed the mosquito nets currently being distributed across the state by the state malaria programme”.
He stated that “the hoodlums who were said to have observed that there were many heavy duty and luxurious vehicles moving in and out of the complex on Friday 23rd, October, 2020 suspected that the warehouse must contain some COVID-19 palliatives and decided to storm the complex with all manner of weapons and tools on the said day”.
He recalled that the state Governor, Gboyega Oyetola had last year released the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira take-off grant to establish the agency and another Four Hundred and Seventy Seven Million Naira as equity grant to fund the vulnerable programme of Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) which is meant to provide quality healthcare for the poorest of the poor at no cost to them whatsoever.
“Over One hundred and Sixty seven thousand (167,000) enrollees including civil servants, self employed and vulnerable indigent persons are already enjoying the scheme with another list of 24,712 vulnerable persons and people living with disability whose vulnerability status has just been validated waiting for enrolment and empanelment to healthcare facilities where they would have started receiving healthcare free of charge from November, 2020. There are 86 healthcare facilities both public and private already providing primary and secondary care to our enrollees across the state”.
“In addition, in order to ease the problem of out of stock syndrome of medicines for OHIS enrollees the Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola gave approval for the agency to establish OHIS Drug Distribution Centre with a ssed stock of 25,000,000 Naira to supply medicines and consumables to all government hospitals accredited for service provision under the scheme”.
“This way our enrollees have been enjoying supply of drugs contained in our Essential Medicine List whenever they present to our hospitals. This incidentally is the first of its kind to be operated by any state health insurance agency in the country and has now been vandalized with more than half the drugs carted away by hoodlums” he stated.
The Executive Secretary however appealed to residents of the state and all landlords who see electronic equipments, computers, printers, furniture, generators, refrigerators and drugs being brought to their houses to please law enforcement agents promptly.
“Please help the government to continue to provide quality healthy services to the good people of our state through under OHIS which has become a household name in the state. Please let us stop this destruction of our commonwealth and allow government settle down to serve us better” Dr. Ogini appealed.
He urged the looters to take advantage of Governor Oyetola’s 72 hour amnesty period to return the loots as the opportunity may not be enjoyed after the expiration of the the ultimatum.
The head of Security of OHIS in a chat with Daily Mail said he was on duty on the fateful day when the hoodlums invaded the complex.
He said the hoodlums threatened to kill him for refusing to open the gate for them to gain access into the complex.
According to him, the hoodlums broke into the premises around 8:05 in the morning and started looting and vandalising the agency’s property which they claimed it was the own being that of government.
“Are you the government? We are the government and it is our property. We will kill you today if you don’t allow us to take them. At that point, I had to escape and call the Executive Secretary and all the Directors”, the security guard recounted.
Osun State Government has said all bedridden pensioners and others with serious health challenge will henceforth have their audit exercise conducted through telephone.
A statement by signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi on Monday revealed that such pensioners, will no longer be required to be physically present at the venue of the screening exercise.
The statement added that pensioners who are currently outside the State would have their screening conducted via the same means.
It also said “Pensioners outside the state at the moment no longer need to travel down to Osun State as they will also be having their screening through the telephone.
“Additionally, pensioners in the diaspora will also be screened only through video calls.
“In line with the above, the Pension Board is expected to make available all the particulars, especially pictures of pensioners to the Consultant, for ease of identification during the video call screenings.
“The above directives take immediate effect.”
…Govt should decentralise process to prevent avoidable deaths – Retirees
Pensioners in Osun State have appealed to the State government to decentralise the ongoing screening of its workforce including retirees.
The call became necessary as some of the aged retirees collapsed on Monday within the premises of the Center for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo, venue of the ongoing screening.
It took the intervention of the medics of the State Ambulance Service to revive and stablise the victims.
Retirees, numbering about 2,000 old men and women who are visibly aged, frail and in some cases sick, were at the venue for the screening exercise.
A number of them who could not withstand long time standing were seen either, lying down, sleeping or sitting on the bare floor to avoid eventuality.
Many of the pensioners were visibly angry for what they described as inhuman treatment by the handlers of the exercise.
Sunday Omotosho decried the arrangement and the eventual treatments of his colleagues who came for the exercise from across the State.
Though, he agreed that the exercise as sanctioned by the State government was desirable, but was of the opinion that the process would have been made easier if it were to be done on local government or zonal basis.
As at press time, the exercise was yet to commence as the consultant in charge, Saadat Bakri-Ottun was yet to arrive the venue, hence the wait prolonged.
The staff audit was earlier suspended for weeks by the state House of Assembly over inhuman treatment meted to the civil servants by the consultant, but the suspension was lifted after she promised to correct her mistakes.
….ASUP, Students lock school gate to prevent academic activities
Heavy protesters have laid seige on the entrance of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State against the removal of the institution’s rector, Dr. Tajudeen Adewale Odetayo.
The State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke had reportedly suspended Odetayo and allegedly replaced him by his kinsman.
Protested gathered at the frontage of the polytechnic entrance as early as 7:30 on Tuesday morning carrying different placards with different inscriptions to register their displeasure against the removal of the embattled rector.
The school gate has been put under lock and key, by the students and the school chapter of the Academic Staff Union of the Polytechnic, ASUP preventing academic activities and other activities on the campus.
More to follow…
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