Ebonyi Govt Kicks Off Sensitization On Health Insurance Scheme For Workers On Tuesday

▼ BY NDUBUISI NWOGHA ANDY, ABAKALIKI Ebonyi State government has announced its plan to kick off sensitization on health insurance scheme for workers on Tuesday, (today) 15th February, 2022.

Addressing newsmen on Monday after a meeting with the leaders and other affiliated bodies at Ebonyi State Health Insurance Hall, Ministry of Health at Centenary City, Abakaliki, the Special Assistant to the State Govenor on Inter-Party and Labour Matters, Comrade Mrs Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor said beneficiaries of the scheme would be for workers in the 13 LGAs. Mrs Adibe-Nwafor stated that the scheme would be of immense benefit to the state civil servants, and added that the sensitization would be carried out to different MDAs and Local Government Councils. She highlighted that all civil servants irrespective of position and parasatals would stand a chance to enjoy the scheme, and charged workers to unveil themselves to attend the sensitization programme from where they would know hospitals and health centers mapped out for the scheme. "Like tomorrow, we are kicking off the sensitization for the workers in the state because most of the targeted beneficiaries are not yet informed. By tomorrow we will speak to them, and now the sensitization is for us to learn what the health insurance scheme is all about. "There are packages that will be involved. The deduction from Civil servants' salaries will be very minimal and they won't feel it. "Every civil servant will have reasons to enroll for health insurance and I advised them to come out to participate in the sensitisation in order to know what is involved. "We will be visiting various MDAs and local government areas. I adviced that you come out when we visit your MDAs. It is a very good one and nobody is going to coarse you into enrolling but I assure you that after hearing from the Executive Secretary of the health insurance scheme you have every need to be enrolled," she said. While advising the state workers to come out massively and enrol at Ebonyi State Health insurance office following the sensitization, she disclosed that the enrollment is free of charge. "If you are enrolled, you will be given a card to be visiting hospitals, both private and public ones, to get access to the health care services. Once, you go there with your card you can be treated," Mrs Adibe-Nwafor added. On her part, the Executive Secretary of Ebonyi State Health Insurance Scheme Agency, EBSHIA, Prof. Uzoma Agwu described the scheme as a welcome development. According to her, "this decision was made in our meeting with all the leaders of the labour unions existing in Ebonyi State. "Some of them are NLC, TUC, NUT, NULGE, NUJ, and other affiliated bodies. We've agreed that we move from MDAs to MDAs and local government areas to sensitize about health insurance scheme for workers and that will start tomorrow being Tuesday (today) 15th February, 2022." She said that the workers will benefit a lot from the scheme, because all the enrollees will be able to access both government and private hospitals for health care services when the need arises