The Delta State Contributory Health Commission has reiterated its commitment to working closely with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Delta State Chapter, to ensure that students of higher institutions across the state benefit from the government’s health insurance scheme.
Director General of the Commission, Dr. Isaac Akpoveta, made this known on Thursday in Asaba during an interactive session with members of NANS, led by the association’s Director of Health, Comrade Onovughegor Augustine, who paid a courtesy visit to the commission.
Welcoming the delegation, which included student union leaders from various tertiary institutions in the state, Dr. Akpoveta described the meeting as timely and commendable. He explained that the Commission is already developing targeted strategies to engage students and facilitate their enrollment into the Delta State Government’s health insurance scheme.
According to him, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration places high priority on the welfare of students, hence the introduction of the Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) under the Delta State Contributory Health Commission to cater specifically for students’ health needs.
Highlighting the Commission’s achievements since its establishment in 2015, Dr. Akpoveta reaffirmed its commitment to achieving universal health coverage in the state. He disclosed that students can access quality healthcare services within and outside Delta State at accredited health facilities upon enrollment in the scheme with a subsidized annual fee of ₦7,000.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation and Director of Health, NANS, Comrade Onovughegor Augustine—who also serves as the SUG President of Delta State University, Abraka—said the visit was aimed at obtaining firsthand information on the operations and benefits of the health insurance scheme.
He commended the Delta State Government and the Contributory Health Commission for the initiative, describing it as a welcome development that will greatly benefit students across the state. Comrade Onovughegor also assured that the association would intensify sensitization efforts in various institutions to ensure students take advantage of the program.
The visit featured an interactive session during which student leaders engaged the Commission’s management team in a question-and-answer forum on the workings of the health insurance scheme.
