One hundred and thirty-six thousand, eight hundred and thirty-one enrollees have benefitted from the Ebonyi state Health Insurance Scheme within one year of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration.
The Executive Secretary, Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Divine Igwe gave the statistics while briefing newsmen Friday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
Igwe commended Governor Nwifuru for repositioning the Agency and reactivating the State Health Insurance Scheme to serve its purpose of minimizing catastrophic expenditure on health by the people of the State.
He noted that the Governor within one year in office has demonstrated uncommon interest in the health and wellbeing of the people, adding that the scheme has greatly enhanced access to healthcare, leading towards the actualization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for the people.
Igwe explained: “In all, 136,831 enrollees have benefitted in health insurance within one year of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru being in office.
“Out of this number, pregnant women in the current enrolment is 9,000.
“Children under 5 years is 15,000.
“Others include People with Disabilities and the Indigents.”
The Executive Secretary emphasized that EBSHIA, through the support of the state government has offered so many free health services to beneficiaries across the 171 political wards of the state.
The services, according to him included 4,608 free reserved immunization, 3,056 free normal deliveries, 50 free caesarian sections and 20,228 free malaria treatments.
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Others were 3,612 free hypertension management, 943 free diabetes management, 12,665 free respiratory tract infections and 1,583 urinary tract infections management; 5,628 free diarrhea management, , free 100 Herniorhaphy and 100 other surgeries including Appendectomy, myomectomy and hydrocelectomy, among others.
Igwe added that the Governor, apart from digitizing the operations of the Agency has introduced effective staff training by effectively harnessing the partnership of the state with International partners.
He further reeled out other invaluable inputs of the Governor in the sub-sector to include the reactivation of the General hospitals across the state through employment of adequate health workers, introduction of incentives to the doctors and payment of state’s counterpart funding for Basic Healthcare Provision Fund to the tune of N139 million.
According to him, the Agency, through the help of the Governor has further accredited 26 private facilities as healthcare providers under the scheme, with the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching hospital, Abakaliki and the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, Uburu as supportive facilities.
“He also purchased ambulances for the general hospitals, and approved N11.5 billion for equipments and consumables in the general hospitals.
“He also approved N200 million for vulnerable groups’ health insurance premium and released full monthly premium for State Civil Servants’ health Insurance to the tune of N37 million.
“He did not stop there, he started working on the rural roads to ensure quick access to facilities”, Igwe added.
Igwe further commended the wife of the Governor, Uzoamaka Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, for establishing a partnership with the Agency through her Foundation, Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO).
He noted that the Foundation has sponsored free enrollment of over 4,000 pregnant women into the scheme as well as free medical treatments for serious ailments, including major surgeries and ceaserean sections.
“In EBSHIA’s partnership with the office of the wife of the Governor, out of the 4,076 pregnant women enrolled, 341 have delivered.
“Through the same office, EBSHIA harvested and performed free surgeries for 100 elderly males living with scrotal hernia across the 171 wards of the state” he enumerated.
Recall that the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Scheme was flagged-off by the immediate past administration in the state in 2021, but due to mutual distrust between Labour and the then administration, the scheme could not effectively take off especially for the formal sector.
On assumption of office, Governor Nwifuru convened a health insurance summit through the Agency in November 2023. The outcome of it resulted in full take-off of the scheme both for the formal and informal sectors.
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