Ebonyi Sets To Enrol 200,000 Residents In Health Insurance Scheme As 166,118 Beneficiaries Applaud Nwifuru
By Emmanuel Agbo, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi State Government has announced plans to enrol an additional 200,000 residents in its health insurance scheme as part of efforts to expand access to affordable and quality healthcare services across the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA), Dr Divine Okemefuna Igwe, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press conference at the Women Development Centre, Abakaliki, where he presented the agency’s achievements over the past four years.
Igwe said the proposed enrolment would build on the 166,118 residents who had already benefited from the scheme, describing the initiative as a major intervention by the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to strengthen healthcare delivery and reduce financial barriers to essential medical services.
He explained that enrolment in the scheme was free, urging residents across the state to take advantage of the opportunity to access quality healthcare without exposing themselves and their families to financial hardship.
According to him, the initiative is designed to prevent avoidable deaths associated with the inability of individuals and families to afford medical treatment.
The EBSHIA boss called on political leaders, philanthropists, non-governmental organisations and other well-meaning individuals to support the state government’s healthcare agenda by sponsoring residents in their respective communities to enrol in the scheme.
He noted that sponsoring people into the health insurance programme would constitute a more sustainable investment in community health and welfare than organising one-off medical outreaches.
Igwe further disclosed that the agency had set a target of enrolling at least two million Ebonyi residents by 2030 under its strategic roadmap, tagged EBSHIA Vision 2030: One Ebonyi, One Health Insurance, One Health Future.
He said the overarching objective of the programme was to ensure that no resident of Ebonyi State was denied access to essential healthcare services because of financial constraints.
He assured that the agency would continue to strengthen its healthcare financing mechanisms, improve service quality and expand coverage to achieve its ambitious 2030 target.
Highlighting the agency’s performance in maternal and newborn healthcare between 2023 and 2026, Igwe disclosed that it recorded 114,298 antenatal care services, 33,706 normal deliveries, 2,093 caesarean sections and 543 assisted deliveries, bringing the total number of obstetric service records to 150,640.
He said the interventions had significantly improved access to maternal and newborn healthcare services across the state.
“Through EBSHIA, 1,450 surgical cases were recorded under the main surgical categories during the period under review.
These comprised 855 hernia surgeries, 337 fibroid surgeries, 243 appendectomies and 15 lump removal procedures,” he said.
He added that the agency also facilitated specialised medical procedures, including brain surgeries, breast and finger lump removals, and prostatectomies, demonstrating its growing capacity to support beneficiaries requiring complex healthcare interventions.
On disease management, Igwe said the agency recorded 226,560 communicable disease-related service cases, including complicated malaria, typhoid fever and complicated upper respiratory tract infections.
He added that 49,199 cases relating to non-communicable diseases were also recorded within the period.
Speaking on eye healthcare interventions, the executive secretary said the agency facilitated 4,614 eye-related interventions, comprising 2,065 eye-screening services, 2,065 pairs of eyeglasses issued to beneficiaries and 484 eye surgeries.
He further disclosed that 3,865 sickle cell-related cases were recorded, while 6,645 civil servants benefited from the agency’s screening programme.
Igwe expressed profound appreciation to Governor Nwifuru and his wife, Chief Mrs Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, for their continued commitment to improving the health and general welfare of residents.
He reaffirmed the agency’s determination to expand enrolment, strengthen financial risk protection, promote quality healthcare delivery and establish a sustainable and accountable health financing system.
He said the ultimate goal was to build a healthcare system in which every Ebonyi resident could access essential medical services without suffering financial hardship.
In his remarks, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Healthcare, Dr Sabinus Nwibo, described the health insurance scheme as a life-changing intervention that had continued to transform access to healthcare in the state.
Nwibo recalled Governor Nwifuru’s role in establishing the legal framework for the scheme while serving as Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, describing the governor’s contributions to the health sector as significant milestones with lasting implications for the people.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the EBSHIA Board, Barrister Elizabeth Ogechi Ogbaga, said the press engagement was organised to showcase the achievements of the Nwifuru administration in the health sector through the experiences and testimonies of beneficiaries.
She assured residents that the agency would remain committed to discharging its statutory responsibilities and strengthening healthcare delivery for the overall wellbeing of the people.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council, Comrade Samson Nwafor, commended the agency for providing a platform for beneficiaries to share their experiences and demonstrate the impact of the scheme.
Nwafor pledged the media’s support in creating awareness and encouraging wider enrolment, assuring that the union would partner with EBSHIA to publicise its programmes and activities.
Some beneficiaries, including Precious Uguru, Happiness Ituma, Celine Aleke, Onyinyechi Nkwegu, Nkechi Nweke, Charity Nwovu and Rita Isaac, narrated their experiences under the scheme, testifying to receiving free medical treatment, successful surgical operations and other life-saving healthcare interventions.
They expressed gratitude to Governor Nwifuru for providing them with access to medical services that would otherwise have imposed significant financial burdens on them.
The beneficiaries praised the governor for what they described as his administration’s life-saving intervention in the health sector and prayed for God’s continued blessings upon him, while also expressing support for his re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.