The Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA), Dr. Divine Igwe, has described health insurance as the most effective way to manage health financing, applauding Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for prioritizing healthcare reforms that have ended the era of medical tourism for Ebonyians.
Speaking during hospital tour of the third phase of the State’s Free Medical and Surgical Intervention Programme, Dr. Igwe noted that the initiative reflects the governor’s “People’s Charter of Needs” mantra, with healthcare at its core.
“No matter what you are looking for in life, once you are not healthy, you abandon everything and focus on health. The governor understood this and chose to end health tourism. Today, people can stay in Ebonyi and access quality care without traveling to Saudi Arabia or the UK,” Dr. Igwe said.
Collaboration with the First Lady
The third phase of the medical and surgical outreach, carried out in collaboration with the First Lady, Chief (Mrs.) Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Ogbonna Nwifuru, covered over 2 hospitals across the state including tertiary, general, and private facilities.
Mrs. Nwifuru, through her Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO) Foundation, had earlier enrolled over 4,000 pregnant women and 300 sickle cell patients into the state health insurance agency, ensuring free access to maternal and chronic care.
Breaking Down the Numbers
The third phase recorded 1,283 beneficiaries, with specific interventions including: 626 eye screenings and eyeglass distributions, 113 eye surgeries, 518 hernia repairs, 126 fibroid surgeries, 13 lump removals.
Dr. Igwe emphasized that all surgeries were handled by consultants and professors to ensure top-quality outcomes, with anesthetic care provided by consultant anesthetists.
Restoring Lives, Preserving Dignity
He described healthcare not as charity, but as dignity restored:
“Every life touched is destiny preserved. Many families have been rebuilt because people once written off are now healed. This is the best way to celebrate Ebonyi’s 29th anniversary by giving 1,283 people surgical access across 171 wards of the state.”
One of the beneficiaries, 21-year-old Ewa Peter Cherechi from Ezza North, who underwent free hernia surgery at General Hospital Onueke, praised the government for saving his life and urged for the scheme’s sustainability.
Fighting Financial Hardship in Health
Dr. Igwe noted that through health insurance, Ebonyians no longer need to sell property to access medical care:
“What we are doing is financial risk protection. No one should be impoverished because of sickness. By channeling funds through health insurance, hospitals are compelled to develop and patients are guaranteed care.”
He further applauded the Commissioner for Health, the EBSHIA board led by Barr. Elizabeth Ogechi-Ogbaga, and his staff for ensuring effective delivery.
With 90% of the surgeries already concluded under this phase, Dr. Igwe assured that the government remains committed to sustaining the program.
“I know what it means to be poor and sick at the same time. That is my motivation. We may not understand the impact until you see a woman who waited 20 years for a fibroid surgery or a young girl saved from blindness by free glaucoma treatment. These are lives restored, and that is the true essence of governance,” he said.