Abakaliki, Feb. 16, 2024 (NAN): The Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO) Foundation has begun free enrolment of all pregnant women into the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA).
The wife of the state governor, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, while flagging off the exercise on Friday at the Maternal Child Healthcare, Azuiyiokwu, Abakaliki, said the programme would offer free antenatal care and delivery for women.
Mrs. Nwifuru said it was aimed at ensuring that all pregnant women in the state had access to essential prenatal and delivery care services.
According to her, the exercise will be conducted in 171 wards across the 13 local government areas of the state.
She said, “Empowering pregnant women with health insurance is allowing them to make informed decisions about their health and that of their unborn children.
“It is also a proactive measure to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, save precious lives, and ensure that families remain whole and happy.”
In his remarks, Dr. Divine Igwe, Executive Secretary, EBSHIA, said that the enrollment covered the period from the beginning of the pregnancy until delivery.
He said that mothers who had delivered their children would remain in the portal of the agency for six weeks, after which they would be expunged to accommodate other pregnant women.
According to Igwe, to fight poverty, financial risk protection should be considered if the maternal mortality rate is to be curtailed in the state.
“We also need to tackle ignorance through advocacy and the launch of health education in rural areas,” Igwe added.
Also, Dr. Moses Ekuma, the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, said the enrolment of pregnant women in health insurance was the first step in preventing deaths during pregnancy. (NAN)
