Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Henry Owen
The Edo State Health Insurance Commission (EDOHIC) has reiterated its commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery across the State as it convened its Desk Officers’ Interactive Session—an annual engagement designed to review performance, address service gaps, and set priorities for the coming year. The forum brought together healthcare providers and Desk Officers from the three senatorial districts, marking a major step toward improved service integration for 2026.
Speaking during the session in Benin City, the Director General of EDOHIC, Dr. (Mrs.) Augusta Ikpea-Enaholo, commended the collective efforts of healthcare providers operating under the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme. She noted that the synergy between the Commission, public health institutions, and private facilities significantly enhanced enrollee experience in 2025, leading to improved patient coverage, better responsiveness to care needs, and rising levels of client satisfaction.
Dr. Ikpea-Enaholo highlighted the strong performance of several healthcare facilities during the outgoing year, noting that many demonstrated exceptional compliance with the Scheme’s service standards, emergency care protocols, and quality assurance frameworks. She cited public facilities in particular for strengthening internal processes and sustaining service stability, while also applauding private hospitals for maintaining high standards of patient-centred care and demonstrating commendable adherence to Scheme protocols.
The DG praised Desk Officers, calling them the “frontline of Patient-Scheme engagement,” and celebrated outstanding officers whose professionalism and commitment improved service coordination and enrollee communication statewide. Despite the progress achieved, she underscored the need to address lingering challenges, including disparities in patient outcomes, delays in service delivery, communication gaps on enrollee entitlements, and the need for more robust integration of digital health information systems.
Reflecting on reforms implemented in 2025, Dr. Ikpea-Enaholo pointed to significant milestones such as the rollout of QR code communication channels across facilities, the strengthening of the claims pre-authorization process, and the introduction of the EDOHIC Emergency Protocol and accompanying Emergency Care Policy. She also highlighted the launch of the Bills of Rights policy document and the issuance of EDOHIC ID cards for dependents—initiatives that collectively improved emergency response, communication efficiency, enrollee verification, and claims turnaround time across the State.
The interactive segment, chaired by the DG, provided a platform for participants to openly discuss operational bottlenecks and suggest practical solutions. Discussions centred on escalation pathways for delayed or disputed claims, improved communication strategies to clarify patient entitlements, and streamlined processes for monthly reporting, documentation management, and claims tracking.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Ikpea-Enaholo reiterated the Commission’s commitment to deepening provider engagement and enhancing system-wide efficiency. She encouraged healthcare facilities to remain transparent, embrace innovation—especially digital health tools—and strengthen their internal processes as the State prepares for expanded service delivery in 2026.
During the technical review session, Dr. Osayuki Edosa-Iyayi, representing the Director of the Health Services and Standards Department, and Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist, Mr. Ibrahim Okoro, presented the Quality Assurance Reports for the second and fourth quarters of 2025. The reports assessed facility compliance levels, emergency readiness, documentation accuracy, claims credibility, turnaround timelines, and beneficiary feedback. They emphasized that the assessments were critical for identifying gaps and guiding corrective actions, expressing confidence that visible improvements would be recorded across facilities by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Desk Officers, including Ariokpere Prince and Kerimu Bright Wahab, commended EDOHIC for the engagement. They noted that the session not only strengthened their professional capacity but also reinforced their commitment to improving healthcare delivery in their respective districts.
A major highlight of the event was the presentation of the 2025 Outstanding Performance Awards, which recognized excellence across various categories. Vision Theatre Eye Clinic emerged Best Referral Facility, while Faith Medical Centre, St. Camillus Catholic Hospital, and Bethel Faith Hospital won the awards for Best Facility in Edo North, Central, and South respectively. General Hospital, Abudu, was honoured as Best Public Facility of the Year. The top Desk Officer awards went to Awesome Aliheri (Edo North), Mrs. Jennifer Oniwona (Edo Central), and Clementina Amiolemien (Edo South). A Special Recognition Award was presented to Mr. Felix Odunayo of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital for exceptional professionalism and service.
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