The Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Moses Ije Odunwa, has described Health Insurance as a panacea for healthy living and economic growth of Ebonyi State residents.
The speaker stated this at the Legislative Complex Nkaliki, Abakaliki, during a courtesy visit to him by the executives and staff of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA).
Odunwa said that Ebonyi residents could attain wellness at a minimum cost with the present active health insurance scheme in the State.
The lawmaker reassured of the readiness of the house members to partner the agency to deliver quality healthcare service to their constituents as their way of complementing what the state governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is doing in the State’s health sector. He promised to include health insurance as their constituency projects in their next budgets and to liaise with the governor to ensure that health resource personnel is enhanced for optimal service delivery, especially in Primary health centres of the state. He equally enjoined the agency to ensure that they operate on a standard cadre while considering the rural dwellers as the most beneficiaries of their services.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and the executive secretary of the agency, Dr. Divine Igwe said that the essence of the visit was to congratulate him on his new position as the speaker of the state seventh assembly and equally to inform him of the current status of the agency which he was part of in passage of the law establishing it three years ago.
He solicited for the house members’ adoption of vulnerable persons from their different constituencies into the scheme and therefore contribute to the reduction of their health challenges.
The executive secretary said that the integration of the formal and informal sectors of the State into the scheme by the state government would go a long way in beefing up the enrollment status of the agency which he said would have a positive impact on the state at the national level and pleaded on the State actors to harmonize toward equity fund release. On his part, the Consultant to the agency Dr. Ibiam Azu-Agwu emphasized that the adoption of health insurance for the residents of the State will not only engender a better health tone, and a reduction in huge out-of-pocket payment during ill health for the citizenry but more importantly accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage which he said is a global target of ensuring that everyone irrespective of his financial and social status and location would have access to quality and affordable health care service. He maintained that the health-seeking behavior of the people would also be changed for the better with operational health insurance in place and enjoined House members to consider the adoption of less privileged constituents into the scheme rather than material gifts.
In a vote of thanks, Mr James Nweke thanked the speaker for the privilege given to them to be in the state house of assembly where they were given warm reception.
The visit was used to confer on the speaker the health ambassador of the agency and appealed to preside over the Ebonyi health insurance summit slated to be held in November 2023.
