Anambra State government has inaugurated the registration of about twenty-eight thousand two hundred and forty-six persons that will benefit from the national basic healthcare provision fund provided by the Federal Government and implemented through State health insurance schemes.
The inaugural ceremony took place at the Primary Healthcare Centre, Akpo, in Aguata Local Government Area and had other eleven teams that covered the eleven Primary Healthcare Centre wards in Aguata simultaneously.
Speaking on the exercise, the Commissioner for Health in Anambra State, Dr. Vincent Okpala thanked Governor Willie Obiano for making the State a beneficiary through his commitment and provision of both funds and support.
Dr. Okpala while commending Anambra State Health Insurance Agency for its good work in the State expressed confidence that the scheme will be well run by the State Health Insurance Agency and the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
He encouraged Ndi Anambra to utilize the services provided by the scheme instead of continuing with the practice of patronizing quacks for serious health challenges that have resulted in preventable deaths.
Explaining reasons behind the exercise, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi informed that eighty-five persons have been chosen per ward from all the communities in the state to benefit from the free healthcare programme.
According to him the exercise is expected to reach every ward over the next five weeks adding that at the end about twenty-eight thousand two hundred and forty-six Ndi Anambra would have been registered from across the three hundred and twenty-six electoral wards of the State to benefit.
Dr. Onyemaechi who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health pointed out that the exercise will give Ndi Anambra, especially the poor and vulnerable access to basic minimum package of services that include antenatal, labour and delivery for pregnant women, treatment of ailments like Malaria, Typhoid fever, Pneumonia, other chest infections, diarrhoea in children, hypertension and diabetes mellitus among others.
The programme according to Dr. Onyemaechi will ensure that the health indices of the State improves rapidly, as access will be expanded to the poor members of the society to quality healthcare services.
Mrs Agnes Nwafor, a beneficiary from Akpo community thanked the Anambra State and Federal Government for the programme while urging the authorities to ensure that enrollees are well attended to while trying to access healthcare services.
MOSES ORAEGBUNAM
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