….Reduces infant, maternal mortality
By Amechi Innocent
ABAKALIKI—–THE Ebonyi State government has enrolled 137,133 people free of charge within two years of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration to boost healthcare delivery and reduce maternal and infant mortality in the state.
The Executive Secretary of Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA) Dr. Divine Igwe who disclosed this during an interactive session with the beneficiaries and the media at Women Development Center, Abakaliki commended governor Nwifuru for his beloviolent in enrolling the indigents and less privileged free of charge in the state.
He said that the agency has recorded tremendous support from the governor and the wife who granted free enrollment for civil servants, children under five, pregnant women and also paid for free surgeries of Cesarean operation for pregnant women , eye surgeries among other aliments treated by the agency.
The Executive Secretary stated that the agency has succeeded through the efforts of the governor to reduce infant and maternal mortalities and has saved many lives in the rural areas, calling for more enrollment.
According to the breakdown of the enrollment; “Children under five-42,088, Elderly-15,644, Pregnant women-20,786, People with Disability-1,210, Indigents-41,783, formal sector healthcare-8,006, informal sector-2, 214, Active Enrollment in 2024- 86, 000 and Tiship- 5,347.
He stated that apart from the intervention from the state governor and wife, the agency has accessed Global Fund for HIV patients where the agency supposed to enrol 28,000 patients for their treatment and routine retroviral drugs adding that the agency enrolled sickle cell warriors free of charge in the state.
The State Commissioner for Health Dr. Mose Ekuma said that present administration met the health facilities in comatose where only seven doctors were manning all the primary care healthcare facilities in the state.
He said that governor Nwifuru came prioritizing health and employed more doctors and other health workers and acquired health facilities and equipment which he said have been distributed to the facilities across the state.
Dr. Ekuma stated that the introduction of health insurance scheme by the governor was to intervene in healthcare delivery and save lives through his provision of free healthcare services to the people of the state.
The State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Prof. Ogugua Egwu commended the governor and the executive secretary for the free enrollment of the civil servants in the state and called for sustainability.
Some of the beneficiaries; Somotochukwu Okoro, Chioma Nnaji, Celine Aleke, Mary Onwe, Hannah Igwe, Fustina Ogbonna, Matthew Nwenyi Mary Alegu, Jacob Okoro among others diluting their testimonies thanked governor Nwifuru for saving their lives through free health insurance scheme.
