By Chinwe Imo-Eze Onwosi
The Wife of the governor of Ebonyi state, Uzoamaka Ogbonna Nwifuru has through her pet project, Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO), foundation commenced Free enrollment of all Pregnant women into the State Health Insurance Agency.
Nwifuru while flagging off the exercise, on Friday, at Maternal Child Healthcare Azuiyiokwu (MCH), Abakaliki disclosed that the insurance would offer free antennal care and delivery.
She said it was aimed towards ensuring that all pregnant women in the state have access to essential prenatal and delivery care services as the exercise would be conducted in 171 wards across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
“Empowering pregnant women with health insurance, is empowering them to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their unborn children.
“It is also a proactive measure to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, saving precious lives and ensuring that families remain whole and happy. The wife of the governor stated.
In his remarks, Dr Divine Igwe, Executive Secretary of the State Health Insurance Agency, explained that the enrollment covers beginning of the pregnancy till delivery, adding that the mothers would remain in the portal of the agency for six weeks after which they will be expunged to accommodate other pregnant women.
According to Igwe, ” to Fight poverty, financial risk protection, must be considered, if we want to curtail maternal mortality rate in the state.
“We also need to tackle ignorance through advocacy and launch of health education in rural areas,”Igwe added.
Also, Dr Moses Ekuma, Commissioner for Health, said the enrollment of pregnant women into health insurance was first step in forestalling deaths in pregnancy.
