By Asma’u Ahmad
The Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) says it has has enrolled more than 34,000 persons within six months of its inception in 2018.
Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Simeon Onyemaechi, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Awka, the state capital.
“On assumption of this agency in November 2018, our projection was to have 1,000,000 persons enrolled into our scheme within only one year, but presently we have more than 34,000 persons,” he said.
Dr Simeon Onyemaechi
He said that 260 private and public hospitals are currently providing healthcare services to enrolees across the 21 local government areas of the state.
He added that he was impressed with the response of the residents to the scheme. “Our services is open to every resident of the state include; prom
otion, prevention, curative and rehabilitation.
“We treat common infection and infestation like malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, gastroenteritis and almost all childhood illness for under five.
“The agency equally offer antenatal services, labour and delivery for pregnant mother’s including delivery by caesarean section and cover common surgeries like appendectomy, among others,” he said.
Onyemaechi said the services of the agency could be accessed by people in formal and informal sectors. “Formal sector are public and civil servants, while the informal are people in privately owned ventures,” he said.
Onyemaechi who listed scores of advantages of enrolment into the scheme, added that embracing the scheme could reduce maternal and childhood related deaths.
He called on the wealth to do in the state to help pay N12,500 annual premiums for the less privileged persons in their communities. He added that such gesture could reduce pressure on them.
