Corps members to get health insurance in 2018 budget, says senator

Lanre Tejuosho, senator representing Ogun central, says health insurance for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been included in the 2018 budget.

He said this on Wednesday while contributing to a debate on a motion sponsored by Andrew Uchendu, senator representing Rivers east.

Tejuosho explained that going by the one percent of the consolidated revenue fund earmarked by the national assembly for health, corps members would be entitled to go for treatment in any hospital that is covered by insurance.

“I want to refer to the budget that we are passing today that the issue of youth corpers in Nigeria is well highlighted.

“In the introduction of the one percent of the consolidated revenue fund that is going to be introduced in this new budget to ensure that all the youth corpers are covered by the health insurance. At events like this, you don’t need to rely on the doctors in camp,” the senator said.

“Any youth corper will be entitled to go to any hospital in the location in the local government that is covered by health insurance.

“So these kind of incidents won’t repeat itself. The solution is included in this new budget that all the 300,000 youth corpers, every year, will be covered by the health insurance.”

Earlier, while moving the motion, Uchendu recalled the incident of Hilda Amade, a corps member who lost her life at the Kwara state camp.

“She first twisted her knees during man-o-war rehearsals during her stay at the clinic. They refused to let her friend, Jennifer Dike, take her home, adding that her parents must come from Port Harcourt to pick her up,” he said.

“On April 24, she lost consciousness but was later resuscitated. Even when the doctors resolved to take her to Ilorin for serious attention, that decision was not implemented.

“On April 26, her friend Jennifer saw an ambulance speeding out of the camp and was surprised that when she got back to the clinic, another patient was on the bed.”

“On the same day, corps members were assembled and informed of the death of Hilda. Neither the camp commandant nor the Kwara state NYSC coordinator deemed it necessary to visit late Hilda at the camp clinic.”

Thereafter, the senate mandated its committee on women affairs and youth development to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the corps member.

The motion was adopted after Senate President Bukola Saraki put it to a voice vote. - Thecablestyle