From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has launched the Formal Sector Health Insurance Scheme to provide accessible and affordable healthcare for Abia workers.
This is even as Otti has commended former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for the Sound Intervention Hearing Mission, a project his Foundation sponsored in partnership with Abia State Ministry of Health.
Speaking while launching the projects in Umuahia, Otti said his vision for healthcare delivery in Abia is to build a system that is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the local population.
“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,” Otti said.
The Governor added that the scheme would go beyond the provision of essential medical diagnostics and laboratory services to beneficiaries, to offer surgical, orthopaedic, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology services to those that would enrol 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.
Otti said his expectation was that employees in the various ministries, departments and agencies would take advantage of the initiative and programme.
“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.
Meanwhile, Otti has 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.
“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,” Gov. Otti stated.
Unveiling the projects, the former President commended Governor Otti for his healthcare policies and congratulated him on prioritizing healthcare, adding that healthcare delivery was 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 my establishing the health insurance scheme.
“Nigeria is a potentially great nation, with people like you (Gov. Otti), we will achieve our potentials. So, we are here to launch the Abia State medical outreach and healthcare delivery for all. This is very important,” Obasanjo noted.
He said that one of the areas of interest of his foundation is hearing and stated that hearing impairment is not a stigma but could be developed as one gets old.