By Asma’u Ahmad
The United Nations has felicitated with the government and people of Cross River State on the launch of a Health insurance Scheme for the citizens.
The Cross River Government lunched its Health Insurance Scheme, tagged (Ayadecare), during the Children’s Day celebration in Calabar on Monday.
The Representative of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Calabar, Kenneth Ehouzou, on behalf of the UN and its partners sent a goodwill message to the government and people of Cross River on Tuesday.
Ehouzou said the UN was pleased to be given an opportunity to send a goodwill message on the launch of the health insurance scheme.
He said the UN in Cross River engaged state and non-state actors within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework, delivering as one for the period 2018-2022.
According to him, this is a platform that enables all UN entities to act in synergy to ensure development according to state priorities and also mindful of attaining the priority of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Ehouzou said the UN was interested in collaborating with Cross River in the implementation of the health insurance scheme because it provided an opportunity to move the state closer to universal access to healthcare.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been at the fore- front of the Cross River Health Financing Policy and Strategic Plan Development, Disease Surveillance, Capacity Building on Human for Health Resource amongst other initiatives, he said.
Ehouzou said UNFPA was the only Reproductive Health and Right Agency within the UN committed to ensuring a world where every pregnancy was wanted, childbirth safe and youth potential fulfilled.
He said UNFPA was convinced that successful implementation of Ayadecare would bring the state closer to zero preventable maternal deaths, zero gender based violence and zero unmet need for family planning.
He reminded the state government of the approximately 20,000 asylum seekers from Cameroon in the state, who needed food, clothing, shelter, education and healthcare.
“Let’s not neglect the emerging humanitarian context in Cross River where there are approximately 20,000 asylum seekers from Cameroon
“Various interventions are on-going to provide assistance to the refugees: food, shelter, clothing, education and health issues are being attended to by various partners but much more needs to be done,” Ehouzou said.
He appealed to everyone to support interventions in both the development and humanitarian needs of the state in the spirit of SDGs principle of leaving no one behind.
