Over 200 sickle cell patients in Ebonyi State have been enrolled into the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency by the wife of the governor, Mrs Mary-Maudaline Nwifuru.
Speaking at the launch of the programme held at the Women Development Centre in Abakaliki, Mrs Nwifuru said the intervention was aimed at reducing the cost of medication for beneficiaries.
The programme is part of the state government’s initiative to improve healthcare access for rural women, children and internally displaced persons in Ebonyi State.
Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Felicia Nwamkpuma, the governor’s wife stressed the importance of genotype testing before marriage and urged sickle cell patients to attend regular medical check-ups to improve their health condition.
She also promised that the beneficiaries would receive support in obtaining their National Identity Numbers (NIN) to enable them complete the registration process and fully access medical assistance under the scheme.
The Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Divine Igwe, disclosed that the governor’s wife had earlier enrolled some sickle cell patients and over 4,000 pregnant women into the health insurance scheme as part of efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.
Also speaking, the head of the governor’s wife Health and Social Intervention Programme, Professor Nkechi Echiegu, reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to improving the wellbeing and healthcare needs of residents of Ebonyi State.
Some of the beneficiaries, Gift Onyema and Uchechukwu Nwankwo, described the intervention as a major boost to their healthcare and wellbeing.
