Kwara State's Community Health Insurance Scheme has won a finalist prize at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee awards held in Paris, France.

The scheme, which entitles beneficiaries to pay N500 annually to receive basic health care services, had earlier received commendation from the UN and Bill Gates Foundation for its creative approach to pro-poor health care. The latest award was won for taking development initiative to a high level.

Receiving the prize, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said the government aims to achieve universal coverage of the estimated one million rural dwellers in the state under the scheme by 2018.

According to a statement by the governor's media aide, Dr. Muideen Akorede, the governor addressed the audience which included European, African and Asian diplomats as well as development experts.

He applauded his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki for initiating the scheme in 2007 in Edu Local Goverment of the state, stressing that Community Health insurance has now been extended to 10 local government areas in the state.

Ahmed commended Kwara's partners in the scheme, the Dutch Government, The Health Insurance Fund, Hygeia Community Health and PharmAccess Foundation, for their support and pledged his administration's commitment to achieving universal coverage for all rural dwellers in the state.

Erik Solheim, Chair of OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), said the objective of the prize is to support ideas that have been scaled up and that work in the real world.