Evaluating the benefits of Gov. Otti’s interventions in healthcare delivery on Abia residents
By Ogbonnaya Ikokwu
Abia residents have started benefiting immensely from the strategic transformation that the Gov. Alex Otti-led administration has brought into the state’s healthcare sector.
The governor, who came into government with a clear intention of changing the narrative of neglect in healthcare delivery, has not relented in his efforts to right the wrong of the past administrations in the state.
The state of emergency declared in the sector has seen many dilapidated hospitals and health centres in the state renovated and retrofitted to provide quality health services to the people.
Some of these facilities including the Abia State Specialist Hospital Umuahia/Amachara, Cottage Hospital, Aba, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba and Umunneato General Hospital, Bende are currently serving as centres for many free medical outreaches in the state.
Not done, the state government is currently retrofitting 200 Primary Healthcare Centres across the 184 wards of the state with the purpose of promoting quality healthcare services at the grassroots level.
In addition, Gov. Otti is also building specialist hospitals across the three senatorial districts of the state to carter for the health needs of Ndi Abia, while many general hospitals are also being renovated.
Plans are also at advance stage to commission the construction of the proposed Abia Medical City, a project envisioned to redirect medical tourism to the state.
The vision of the governor as contained in his social contract with Abia residents to collaborate with global health organizations to deliver the best quality healthcare to Abia people is also bringing a great relief to many families across the state.
Just recently, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) carried out a health outreach in the South-East geopolitical zone with a target of conducting 1000 free cataract extraction surgeries.
Speaking during the launch of the outreach in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Mrs Emmanuela Arukwe, said that free surgeries were part of the corperate social responsibility of NNPCL aimed at fostering development across Nigeria.
She revealed that cataract
is responsible for 43 per cent of blindness in Nigeria, even though
the disease is preventable.
It is instructive to note that Gov. Otti’s contacts and those he appointed to run the ministries, together with the improved health facilities on ground, made it possible for the state to host the outreach and, of course, Abia residents are the beneficiaries.
In a related development, the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation also selected the state for the launch of the distribution of its Free Hearing Aid in the South-East , a project targeted at residents with hearing impairment.
The state government partnered with the foundation to distribute over 1,000 free hearing aids to residents with hearing impairment.
The governor has also lunched the Formal Sector Health Insurance Scheme to ensure accessible, affordable healthcare for workers in both public and private sectors on Thursday April 10.
He equally launched a free medical outreach in Umuahia, which is expected to be fully executed in Aba, offering consultations, treatments, and minor surgeries at no cost to the beneficiaries.
Speaking during the launch of the scheme at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, Gov. Otti said his vision for healthcare delivery is to build a system that is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the local population.
In a speech, entitled, “Beyond Healthcare”, the governor said that nobody in the New Abia would be denied access to healthcare services for reasons of financial incapacity.
His words, “the launch of the triple-barrelled initiative would revolutionize service delivery and access to healthcare.
“The formal sector health insurance scheme will see tens of thousands of civil servants and their dependants enrolled for round-the-clock qualitative healthcare services at designated healthcare facilities in every part of the state.
“This initiative is structured to drastically reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for individuals in the formal sector employment, cut down risks and hazards associated with self-medication and create demand for medical services in all the public health facilities in our urban and rural communities,” Gov. Otti said.
He further revealed that the scheme would go beyond the provision of essential medical diagnostic and laboratory services to beneficiaries to offering surgical, orthopaedic, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology services to those that would enroll and ease the financial strain individuals and families pass through, especially in times of emergencies, as well as cut down the incidence of maternal and neonatal mortalities.
He said that his expectation was that employees in the various ministries, departments and agencies would take advantage of the initiative and enroll in the programme.
The governor further explained that the Medical Outreach Programme was targeted at the poor and vulnerable and to abolish carrying out of medical outreach in open places, while the launch of hearing aid would provide hearing aids to 1,000 individuals selected to benefit from the mission.
“This particular project (medical outreach) is the first of its kind. This outreach will ultimately abolish the era of medical programmes and outreaches in open fields, market squares or in community halls.
“I would like to use this opportunity to reiterate the ban placed by the state government on the use of public schools, markets, religious centres and other unauthorized locations for medical outreach.
“The Sound Intervention Hearing Mission would see the distribution of premium hearing aids and support systems to 1,000 persons with hearing impairment, selected from different states and communities in the South-East region, he said.
He commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the 2025 Sound Intervention Hearing Mission, a project sponsored by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in partnership with the Abia State Ministry of Health.
While unveiling the programmes, the former president commended Gov. Otti for his healthcare policies and lauded him for prioritizing healthcare, adding that healthcare delivery is what led to the establishment of his foundation.
“Healthcare security, which is what we are doing here today and health for all, is what led to establishing the health insurance scheme.
“Nigeria is a potentially great nation. With people like you (Gov. Otti), we will achieve our potential. So, we are here to launch the Abia State medical outreach and healthcare delivery for all. This is very important,” he said.
In a remark, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said that the Formal Sector Health Scheme is a contributory payment scheme with the employee contributing 5 per cent or less and the government contributing the remaining per cent to insure healthcare service delivery to state employees and their households, who enrolled in the scheme.
He revealed that the State Government had provided N1 billion as take off fund for the scheme, adding that in the first six months of the scheme, workers would contribute only 2.5 per cent of their basic salaries, while government takes care of the remaining 2.5 per cent.
Gov. Otti deserves commendation for his giant strides in the health sector and efforts aimed at meeting up the universal healthcare coverage in the state.
Civil servants in the state should endeavor to enroll into the scheme without delay in order to enjoy the healthcare services and benefits it covers.
However, managers of the scheme from the government side must ensure that the monies deducted from the workers salary are remitted to designated hospitals, where beneficiaries are expected to receive medical attention on time.
Government should also carry out further sensitization about the scheme in government ministries, agencies and parastatals to make workers understand the importance of the scheme.
#Gov. Otti is Building the new Abia!
#To God be glory!
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, a journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Umuahia.