By Nkechinyere Ewa
The Ebonyi State Government is set to enrol an additional 200,000 citizens into the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Scheme as part of efforts to expand access to affordable and quality healthcare in the state.
Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru disclosed this on Thursday when he received the National Executive Council of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), led by its President, Prof. Apollos Ndukuba, at his office in Abakaliki.
The governor said his administration remained committed to improving the welfare of medical doctors, healthcare workers and allied medical personnel in the state.
Nwifuru said the government had prioritised the welfare of healthcare workers because of their critical role in delivering essential medical services to the people.
“In Ebonyi, we believe that when we go into government, we prioritise the welfare of others,” he said.
The governor explained that the significant increase in the emoluments of medical personnel in the state was part of measures to motivate them and improve healthcare delivery.
He said his administration had also activated the state’s general hospitals, recruited medical doctors, health attendants and other allied medical personnel, as well as provided mobility support for doctors resident in the general hospitals.
“We did all these because we want them to render these essential services for our people,” Nwifuru said.
He noted that the government had embarked on extensive infrastructural interventions across the state’s 13 general hospitals, resulting in increased demand for specialist medical services.
According to him, the improved facilities have created the need for consultants to complement the services being provided by resident doctors, particularly in rural communities.
“Let me also inform you that the Commissioner for Health in the state has briefed me about the need to bring consultants to the 13 general hospitals. I am happy you are here. Please volunteer, even if on adjunct or part-time basis,” the governor appealed.
Nwifuru said the government was determined to ensure that the investments in healthcare infrastructure translated into improved medical services for residents across the state.
Earlier, Prof. Apollos Ndukuba, President of MDCAN, explained that the association is an amalgamation of medical experts who serve as trainers in public teaching hospitals and provide specialist healthcare services.
“We are the doctors that train doctors and provide specialist services in all the teaching hospitals,” he said.
Ndukuba said the MDCAN National Executive Council meeting, tagged “Salt City NEC August 2026 Meeting,” was themed “Mitigating Health Impact of Nigeria’s Rising Multidimensional Poverty: The Dilemma of the Healthcare Provider in a Strained Economy and the Demand of Work.”
He described the theme as timely and apt, given the prevailing economic realities and their impact on healthcare providers and citizens.
The MDCAN president expressed appreciation to Governor Nwifuru for the massive infrastructure projects transforming the state’s healthcare sector.
He commended the governor for what he described as significant investments in medical infrastructure and facilities across Ebonyi, saying the developments were visible across the state’s health sector.
The proposed enrolment of an additional 200,000 citizens into the state health insurance scheme is expected to further widen access to healthcare and complement the government’s ongoing investment in health infrastructure and human resources.