By Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
The Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA) has recorded a significant milestone in reducing maternal mortality through its inclusive health insurance scheme, particularly targeting pregnant women across the state.
Dr. Divine Igwe, the Executive Secretary of EBSHIA and a fellow of the Institute of Health Insurance and Management Care of Nigeria, disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Abakaliki.
Dr. Igwe revealed that the agency has successfully enrolled no fewer than 20,000 pregnant women under the state’s health insurance scheme, a move that has drastically curtailed the use of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and reduced maternal deaths.
“Before we came on board, Ebonyi State had a maternal mortality rate of 800 per 100,000 live births. That simply meant that for every 100,000 births, 800 mothers died,” he said. “Today, the figure has dropped below 400, which means we have cut the rate by more than 50%.”
He attributed this progress to the agency’s strategic prioritisation of pregnant women and the financial coverage the scheme provides. “Many women die because they cannot afford hospital care and resort to TBAs. But with our intervention, access to quality health care is now possible for thousands, he said.
The EBSHIA Executive Secretary reaffirmed his commitment to enrolling more Ebonyi residents into the health scheme so long as there are available funds.
He appealed to good-spirited individuals to pour funds into the scheme for the enrollment of more people, including media practitioners, in the state.