The beneficiaries, who are residents in Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilesha, Nyanya, and Yenagoa, were also impacted via medical counselling sessions.
The initiative tagged ‘The Health Insurance Project’ was executed under the bank’s Employees Volunteering Scheme (EVS). The project addressed the need for accessibility to quality healthcare by vulnerable Nigerians.
Speaking about the importance of easy access to quality healthcare, Izore Bamawo, Divisional Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Keystone Bank, expressed the need for Nigerians to be enrolled on health insurance schemes as a way of improving access to healthcare and reducing poverty.
“According to statistics, about 97% of Nigerians are not enrolled on any form of health insurance,” Bamawo said. “Without doubt, the high level of poverty and the reliance on out-of-pocket payments for healthcare is a challenge which has plagued the accessibility to quality and affordable healthcare. The lack of health insurance has further plunged Nigerians into poverty due to the exorbitant and sometimes unexpected healthcare bills which have negatively impacted on the access to healthcare by millions of Nigerians.
“Hence, Keystone Bank’s employees embarked on this initiative as a means of improving the access to quality healthcare amongst vulnerable Nigerians. The financial burden of healthcare bills has been lifted off these individuals.”
The EVS is an integral part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility strategy which encourages employees to be involved in voluntary socially impactful activities. The scheme leverages the employees’ skills, time, and donations in positively impacting the social needs of the communities where it operates.