Anambra Health Insurance Scheme Has Reduced Preventable Deaths — Onyemaechi

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi, Executive Secretary Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) has said that the state health insurance scheme has drastically reduced mortality rate in Anambra.

Onyemaechi stated this at Umuchu Civic Centre Aguata local government area at the weekend during a health outreach programme organized by the lawmaker representing Aguata one state constituency in the state assembly, Dr. Carter Dike Nnamdi Umeh.

He said people in the rural areas would no longer die out of preventable causes due to lack of money because the barriers of seeking alternative herbal medicine and patronizing patent medicine dealers had been taken care of through the state health insurance scheme.

The ASHIA boss noted that the health insurance programme of the state government had equally reduced delays associated with seeking healthcare, reduced out-of-pocket catastrophic expenses, reduced poverty and ultimately increased life expectancy of the citizens because people would no longer die of preventable causes.

According to him, ASHIA has about 273 accredited hospitals in its scheme and there is no community in the state where the agency does not have a health facility operating the state health insurance programme.

Onyemaechi noted that the state health insurance programme was designed to provide quality health care at affordable rates to Anambra citizens and that the essence was to ensure that people did not die from preventable causes.

He said Governor Willie Obiano had institutionalized the processes that would lead to the attainment of universal health coverage through the establishment of the Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme.

The medical expert explained that the scheme allowed beneficiaries to enjoy comprehensive health care package at ASHIA designated hospitals on presentation of their registration identity cards, stressing that the ASHIA identity proof enables the individual to access very subsidized health care services.

Onyemaechi, who also disclosed that over 85,000 persons had enrolled in the state health insurance scheme, said that the poorest of the poor could comfortably access medical care without the phobia of exorbitant hospital deposits and bills because Governor Willie Obiano had done the payment before hand.

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