Alex Otti of Abia, on Thursday, launched the state Formal Sector Health Insurance Scheme to provide accessible and affordable healthcare for civil servants.
By Ihechinyere Chigemeri-Uwom
Gov. Alex Otti of Abia, on Thursday, launched the state Formal Sector Health Insurance Scheme to provide accessible and affordable healthcare for civil servants.
In a speech at the event in Umuahia, Otti affirmed his administration’s commitment to providing quality, accessible and affordable healthcare services to the citizenry.
He said, “Nobody in the New Abia would be denied access to health services for reasons of financial incapacity.”
He also said that the scheme would enable civil servants and their dependants to enroll for round-the-clock quality health services at designated facilities in the state.
“This initiative is structured to drastically reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for individuals in formal sector employment.
“It will cut down risks and hazards associated with self-medication and create demand for medical services in all the public health facilities in our urban and rural communities,” the governor said.
According to him, the scheme would go beyond basic medical care to include advanced services, such as surgical, orthopaedic, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology services.
He urged all Abia workers in ministries, departments, and agencies to take full advantage of the programme.
On the Medical Outreach Programme, the Governor emphasised that it targets the poor and vulnerable, moving away from outdated models.
“This particular project (medical outreach) is the first of its kind.
“It will ultimately abolish the era of medical programmes and outreaches in open fields, market squares or in community halls.
“I would like to use this opportunity to reiterate the ban placed by the State Government on the use of public schools, markets, religious centres and other unauthorised locations for medical outreach,” Otti said.
In a remark, the Special Guest of Honour at the ceremony, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, commended the Otti-led administration for evolving health policies that would improve the citizens’ quality of health.
“Health security, which is what we are doing here today, health for all, is what led to my establishing health insurance during my time as president of this nation.
“Nigeria is a potentially great nation and with people like Gov. Otti, we will achieve our potential.
“So, we are here to launch the Abia State medical outreach and healthcare delivery for all, this is very important,” Obasanjo said.
Also, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, described the scheme as a milestone in Abia’s history, saying that it would be contributory.
“The scheme is a contributory payment with the employee contributing five per cent and government the remaining per cent.”
“In the first six months of the scheme, workers would contribute 2.5 per cent of their basic salaries, while government takes care of the remaining 2.5 per cent,” Uche said.
He also said that the government had provided N1 billion as a take-off fund.
He encouraged civil servants to register immediately to benefit from the programme, saying that the outreach would help to reduce patronage of unqualified medical practitioners.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Abia State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Chiedozie Egwuonwu, described the initiative as a testament of government’s commitment to improved healthcare.
Egwuonwu said that the scheme would cover both routine healthcare and emergencies. (NAN)
