Imo Health Insurance Scheme records 2.7m enrollees within two years – Ewelike

Uchenna Ewelike, executive secretary/ chief executive officer, Imo State Health Insurance Agency (IMSHIA), has said that about 2.7million residents have registered into the ImoCare Health Insurance Programme within two and a half years of operation.

Ewelik said this in a keynote address at the stakeholders’ engagement, organised by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Owerri, Imo State capital.

The forum brought together critical players in the health sector to deliberate on strategies for expanding coverage, building stronger partnerships, and addressing challenges facing healthcare financing in Imo State.

He said that the feat was made possible through Governor Hope Uzodimma’s unwavering support, and praised the Governor’s bold political will as the driving force behind the progress of the health insurance scheme.

The IMSHIA boss said that the agency remains focused on delivering value for money, promoting financial risk protection, and reducing out-of-pocket expenses for citizens seeking medical care.

According to him, the ultimate goal is to ensure that every resident of Imo enjoys access to quality, affordable, and sustainable healthcare services.

Ewelik assured stakeholders that IMSHIA will continue to pursue innovation, strengthen collaborations with NHIA and other partners, and align its programmes with the broader vision of the State Government to achieve universal health coverage for the people of Imo State.

“When we make efforts to create a system locally that works for us here in Imo, all we get are politically jaundiced insults and attacks. The truth is, when we bow out, you will know the difference.

“We are focused, no woman in Imo should die giving birth, that is the directive. We are using our strategy that works for us. Developing these strategies is not knowledge obtained from Eke Onunwa Market. We will not listen to distractions. Let’s save lives together.

“When we seamlessly save lives in Imo for pregnant women using our own strategy, people think it is easy. This year, we haven’t loaned women despite loading an additional 12,600 this period.

“Generally there are problems with the Nigerian Health System, ranging from supply side inadequacies, demand side errors to human resource gap (that doctor may have been on call for days without rest, there may not be available donors, among others. It’s a systemic problem and we all know it”.

He explained that every part of the country will need to redefine itself to achieve what they encourage as a strategic way of solving their peculiar problems, and equally stressed that there is nothing wrong in learning from what Imo is doing that is currently yielding fruit.