Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency has won the fastest growing healthcare coverage award less than a year after it began operations.
The award which was given by the Institute for Health Insurance and Managed Care in Nigeria, a training institute in recognition of the agency as the fastest growing government health agency in healthcare coverage in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Igbemi Arthur Igbemi, who received the award alongside the board chairman and other management staff made this known in an interview in his office saying the recognition has been dedicated to Governor Umo Eno for his support to the agency and achievements in the health sector.
“The thing that has gladdened my heart so much is that people noticed how much interest and commitment Governor Umo Eno has shown particularly in changing the narrative in the health sector. We can see the model primary healthcare centres he is building, the oxygen production plant and other projects he is doing.
Dr Igbemi who disclosed that the award has been presented to the governor at the Executive Council chamber of his office added that the governor was encouraged by the award.
Giving a breakdown of the enrollees so far, he said the agency has over 55,000 enrollees explaining that it “commenced the formal sector enrollment, yesterday, making it one week since we started, we have added more than 5,000 to the pool. This is for the civil servants, they are supposed to enrol their spouses and four biological children. So when you multiply that by the time we finish, we should be enrolling up to 200,000 persons.
“Total enrolment is 55,349, for the formal sector that we have enrolled so far is 11,335 and this is possible because we started enrolling junior civil servants first, so for the formal sector, 11,335, .
“A breakdown shows that 4229 as principal, 4870, dependents, spouses 2236, then for the vulnerable population, 41,020..
“In terms of service utilization, the total number of consultations is 15,750, surgeries are 78, including CS, then normal deliveries we have 98,’’ he said.
The Executive Secretary expressed optimism that with the support the agency has received from the governor, universal coverage would be achieved.
He called on the people to avail themselves of the services being provided by the state health insurance agency to benefit from the Governor’s Arise Care programme.
“I am so happy that the governor has actually supported this agency, under the Arise Care which is his brand, the other thing he has done is the kind of encouragement that he has given to us., he has allowed us to explore things that will make the insurance agency one of the best in the country. Yesterday, the award was dedicated to him.” he said.
Contributing, the chairman of the health insurance board, Dr Edikan Ekwere said many organisations and individuals in the state have shown interest in “paying for premiums to cover some lives in various parts of the state.”
According to him “this has gone to strengthen the scheme adding that more people have promised to pay for their staff members and many have shown commitment to working with us to ensure that their people are being catered for and their health is insured under the Arise Care.”
The Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Scheme is a corporate body established by Cap No 12* Laws of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly 2021 by the Government of Akwa Ibom State to improve the health of all residents at an affordable cost.
