By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA) has unveiled plans to enrol an additional 200,000 residents in its health insurance scheme, targeting two million beneficiaries by 2030.
The Executive Secretary of EBSHIA, Dr Divine Igwe, disclosed this during a press conference at the Women Development Centre, Abakaliki, where he presented the agency’s achievements between 2023 and 2026.
Igwe said the proposed expansion would build on the 166,118 residents already enrolled, describing the initiative as part of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s commitment to affordable and accessible healthcare.
He said the expansion was anchored on the agency’s strategic roadmap, EBSHIA Vision 2030: One Ebonyi, One Health Insurance, One Health Future, aimed at ensuring access to essential healthcare services irrespective of residents’ financial circumstances.
He emphasized that enrolment was free and urged residents across the 13 local government areas to take advantage of the scheme to protect themselves against the financial burden of medical emergencies.
The executive secretary also called on political leaders, philanthropists, corporate organisations and non-governmental organisations to sponsor vulnerable residents, stressing that health insurance sponsorship offered more sustainable benefits than occasional medical outreaches.
Giving a breakdown of the agency’s performance, Igwe disclosed that it recorded 150,640 maternal and obstetric service cases between 2023 and 2026, comprising 114,298 antenatal visits, 33,706 normal deliveries, 2,093 caesarean sections and 543 assisted deliveries.
He said the agency also facilitated 1,450 major surgical procedures, including 855 hernia operations, 337 fibroid surgeries, 243 appendectomies and 15 lump removals.
Other specialised interventions, he added, included brain surgeries, breast and finger lump removals, as well as prostatectomies.
On disease management, Igwe said the agency recorded 226,560 cases involving communicable diseases, including complicated malaria, typhoid fever and complicated upper respiratory tract infections, while 49,199 cases of non-communicable diseases were also documented.
He further disclosed that 4,614 eye-care interventions were recorded, comprising 2,065 screenings, the distribution of 2,065 pairs of eyeglasses and 484 eye surgeries.
According to him, 3,865 sickle cell-related cases were also recorded, while 6,645 civil servants benefited from the agency’s medical screening programme.
Igwe commended Governor Nwifuru and his wife, Chief Mrs Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, for their commitment to healthcare delivery and residents’ welfare.
He reaffirmed the agency’s determination to expand enrolment, strengthen financial protection, improve service quality and establish a sustainable healthcare financing system.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Healthcare, Dr Sabinus Nwibo, described the scheme as a life-changing intervention that had improved access to medical services across the state.
Nwibo recalled that Nwifuru contributed to establishing the scheme’s legal framework while serving as Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, describing it as a foundation for expanding healthcare access.
The Chairman of the EBSHIA Board, Barrister Elizabeth Ogbaga, said the press conference was organised to showcase the achievements of the state government in the health sector through the agency’s interventions and beneficiaries’ testimonies.
She assured residents that the board would sustain its oversight responsibilities to ensure effective implementation of the scheme.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council, Comrade Samson Nwafor, commended the agency for providing beneficiaries with an opportunity to share their experiences.
Nwafor pledged the media’s support in promoting public awareness and encouraging wider participation in the scheme.
Some beneficiaries, including Precious Uguru, Happiness Ituma, Celine Aleke, Onyinyechi Nkwegu, Nkechi Nweke, Charity Nwovu and Rita Isaac, recounted how the scheme enabled them to access medical treatment and undergo successful surgical procedures without bearing the full financial burden; appreciated the state government and called for the expansion of the programme to accommodate more residents.
