The Akwa-Ibom State government, on Friday, said a State Health Insurance Scheme will come on stream in June to enable indigenes have easier access to healthcare services.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Augustine Umoh, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Uyo, the state capital.
Umoh said that the essence of the scheme was to lift the burden of the exorbitant cost of healthcare services from families.
He said “The health insurance scheme will be a long-term intervention aimed at giving our people access to healthcare services.
“The processes leading to the inauguration of the health insurance have been concluded.
“A bill to establish the scheme has been passed, and the Executive Secretary of the Agency has been appointed.
“The health insurance scheme will benefit everyone, especially the vulnerable and the poor in the society; they will register and pay a token to access the facilities.
“We are currently accrediting health supervisors and other personnel that will manage the scheme.
“In the long term, people can be able to walk in to such facilities and access healthcare once they have been registered in the scheme.”
The commissioner added that the state government had built new primary healthcare centres in some parts of the state.
He said that the centres would be fully equipped to take care of the healthcare needs of Akwa Ibom people.
He added that the governor intended to replicate the model primary healthcare centres across the 10 federal constituencies of the state.
Akwa Ibom Govt to introduce Health Insurance Scheme for residents