Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has directed the management of the State Health Insurance Scheme to commence the registration of all journalists in the State.

Obaseki also stated that the policy would cover primary and secondary health care.

“Registered journalists under the scheme would be eligible to access health care at both public and private hospitals in the state”.

“A card would be issued to individual journalists at the point of registration. This card also covers a specified number of members of the journalist family,” Obaseki said.

The Special Adviser on Media Projects to the governor, Crusoe Osagie, disclosed this during the inauguration of the newly elected executive members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Edo State.

Continuing on the health insurance, Crusoe said, “With the health insurance card, you (journalists) can work into hospitals and get their treatment almost free.

“The essence of building a hospital is to give people access to health care and that is what Governor Obaseki is doing.’

Crusoe also dismissed insinuations that the ongoing reconstruction of the 100 years old Central hospital buildings in Benin City had been earmarked for motor parks

He said, “The facility is no longer much of a hospital because most of the structures have decayed.

“As a government, we don’t think it’s wise to keep a derelict infrastructure for sentiment so that people will not be angry.”