In a bid to prevent unnecessary death among corps members, the federal government has included National Youth Service Corp members in the National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS).
This was disclosed by the minister of health ,Isaac Adewole after the Federal executive council meeting presided over by Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.
AFRIPOST recalls that a female member of the National Youth Service Corps, identified only as Jumoke, died in orientation camp in Bayelsa State in February .
Prior to that a corps member, Ogundare Opeyemi, slumped and died in Nembe area of the state.
Also in December 2016, a 27-year-old female corps member, Miss Elechi Chiyerom, died after she allegedly bled and vomited on arrival at the Kaiama camp.
According to the minister ,inclusion of Corp members in the scheme will guarantee access to quality care across the country and prevent unnecessary deaths and also ensure that corps members receive the highest attainable level of care across the country.
“The other memorandum has to do with how we will prevent unnecessary death among youth Corp members across the country. Council approved the memo that henceforth we will include NYSC members in the National Health Insurance Scheme across the country.
“This will guarantee access to quality care across the country, prevent unnecessary deaths and also ensure our youth corps members receive the highest attainable level of care across the country, ” Adewole said.
The minister also said the council received memoranda from his ministry , one has to do with the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between the federal ministry of health and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).
He explained that the MoU has to do with the procurement and distribution of contraceptives commodities across the country.
He added ; The federal government has the policy of free distribution of contraceptives commodities and services across the country. We have renewed the MoU today to last for the next four years between 2017 and 2020. And that we also continue to provide effective safe voluntary contraceptives services across.”
“We also presented a report on the state of public health services across.
“We have formally declared the Meningitis outbreak over in the country. We also informed FEC that we have not recorded new cases of Polio in the country in 2017. We have recorded seven new cases of Lessa fever across the country and the cholera outbreak in Kwara State has also fizzled out,” He stated.