Ebonyi: SSG Enrolls Into Health Insurance Scheme

By Egede Sylvester, Abakaliki The Secretary to the government of Ebonyi State, Professor Grace Umezurike has enrolled in the State Health Insurance Scheme in demonstration of full confidence and reliability of the Agency in line with the Peoples' Charter of Need mantra of the State governor and called on other State Political Office holders and good-spirited individuals of the State to join hands together to make Ebonyi Health System one of its kind in the entire South East.

Professor Umezurike stated this during a courtesy visit by the leadership and staff of Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency The state Secretary to the Government said the tenacity of the State government under Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to positively reposition Ebonyi Health Sector for optimum service delivery is not in doubt given his recent employment of health workers including medical doctors and their deployment into the 13 general hospitals in the State saying that with health workers in place, the Agency would do better in rendering professional health service especially to the rural dwellers.

She thanked the Agency for its unity of purpose and dedication and scored them high in the utilization of modern technology for efficient health delivery. The SSG reaffirmed the commitment of the present administration to take the health care delivery systems to a greater capacity. The leader of the delegation and Executive Secretary of the Agency Dr. Divine Igwe in the company of his principal officers and staff said that the State Health Insurance Agency has equitably enrolled forty-eight thousand vulnerable persons in the State leveraging the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund by both federal and state government and ranked fourth nationally. He maintained that the law cap 002 of 2018, that established the Agency provided for the enrollment of every resident of the State and solicited the government's collaboration for the enrollment of both formal and informal sectors of the State. He also thanked Professor Umezurike for the opportunity to visit and for her warm sentiment on the modest achievement of the Agency within the shortest period. The Consultant to the Agency, Dr. Ibiam Azu-Agwu in memory lane of the State Health Insurance enumerated the benefits of Health Insurance to include reduction in the mortality rate of the State, strategic purchasing, removal of out-of-pocket expenditure, prompt medical treatment, and reduction of poverty due to illness and implored the State Government to release equity fund to assist in the enrollment of more vulnerable and less privileged group in the State. In a vote of thanks, the Head of the Department of Administration and Supply Mr. Uchenna Obodo restated their commitment to taking the Agency to greater heights. The event which was used to confer the Ambassador of Ebonyi Health Insurance on Professor Umezurike had in attendance the Principal Officers from the Cabinet Office and the State Health Insurance Agency.