The Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, or OYSHIA, has been ordered to stop charging all applicants who are interested in applying for a position in its ongoing recruiting process an application fee of N2,000 by the Oyo State government.
This choice was made in accordance with the Oyo State government’s aim of ensuring the comfort of all of its residents.
When asked why the application fee was added, OYSHIA’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Olusola Akande, said during a radio interview programme in Ibadan that it was not intended to take advantage of applicants or be a quick source of income because the portal would be shut down as soon as 50 doctors submitted their applications.
“We did not mean to exploit applicants. The ADM FEE, which has now been cancelled, was for logistics purposes”
He further explained that the recruited doctors will work at OYSHIA accredited public and private facilities on a contract basis and that the employment is not into the mainstream of Oyo State Civil Service and the doctors shall be paid from capitations to the hospitals.
When asked why the recruitment, the Executive Secretary explained that OYSHIA had always been having doctors in their accredited hospitals as this is part of contractual agreement of enrolees. However, many doctors have relocated abroad, and some have taken more permanent jobs.
He also stressed the need for each agency of the government to add to whatever the government has done to deliver services to the people. He added that OYSHIA recruitment effort is her way of contributing to the staffing of the newly renovated PHCs by Oyo State government.
“Since it has become a trending issue on social media, once we are done with the recruitment, we will give feedback on the number of doctors we enrolled and the various faculties they are posted to, he pledged”. Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has overridden the application fee, and applicants can now register without paying the application fee, as the agency is set to accept only 50 applications.