Ban on medical outreach outside Health Institutions, as Obasanjo, Otti launch landmark health programmes

By: Imo Thomas -Umuahia.

The government of Abia state, in its determination to give its residents quality health care, has reiterated the ban placed by the state government on the use of public schools, markets, religious centers, and other unauthorized locations for medical outreach programs, not minding their good intentions.

The State government reiterated this ban on Thursday during the launching of landmark Health programs at the International conference centre Umuahia.

The landmark Health programs launched by the state to provide accessible and affordable healthcare for Abia residents include a formal sector Health Insurance scheme, free medical outreach, and distribution of free hearing Aids from the Obasanjo Foundation.

Governor Otti, while launching the health programs in his speech titled “Beyond Healthcare”, stated that his vision for healthcare delivery is to build a system that is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the local population.

He said that the launch of the triple-barrelled initiative would revolutionize service delivery and access to healthcare in the state.

“The formal sector health insurance scheme will see tens of thousands of civil servants and their dependants enrolled for round-the-clock qualitative healthcare services at designated healthcare facilities in every part of the State.

“This initiative is structured to drastically reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for individuals in the formal sector employment, cut down risks and hazards associated with self-medication, and create demand for medical services in all the public health facilities in our urban and rural communities,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor further stated that the Medical Outreach Program is targeted at the poor and vulnerable and to abolish carrying out of medical outreach in open places while the launch of hearing aid would provide hearing aids to 1,000 individuals selected to benefit from the Mission.

“This particular project (medical outreach) is the first of its kind. This outreach will ultimately abolish the era of medical programs and outreaches in open fields, market squares or in community halls.

“I would like to use this opportunity to reiterate the ban placed by the State Government on the use of public schools, markets, religious centers, and other unauthorized locations for medical outreach.

“Medical outreach that would happen in the state, can only take place within the premises of a medical facility and supervised by competent medical professionals.

“We shall no longer allow any abuse of standard medical safety protocols by individuals and groups however well-intentioned,” Gov. Otti warned.

He commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for the 2025 Sound Intervention Hearing Mission, a project sponsored by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in partnership with the Abia State Ministry of Health.

Unveiling the projects, the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, commended Governor Alex Otti for his healthcare policies and congratulated him on prioritizing healthcare, saying that healthcare delivery is what led to the establishment of his foundation.

“Healthcare security, which is what we are doing here today,, and health for all, is what led to my establishing the health insurance scheme.

“Nigeria is a potentially great nation; with people like you (Gov. Otti), we will achieve our potential. So, we are here to launch the Abia State medical outreach and healthcare delivery for all. This is very important,” Obasanjo stated.

In his speech, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, stated that the event marks a milestone in the annals of history in Abia State and informed the audience that the initiative is a contributory payment scheme with the employee contributing 5 percent or less and the government contributing the remaining percent to insure healthcare service delivery to State employees and their household who enrolled in the scheme.

He disclosed that in the first 6 months of the scheme, workers would contribute only 2.5 percent of their basic salaries while the government takes care of the remaining 2.5 percent, revealing that the government has provided One Billion Naira as a take-off fund for the scheme.

He said that the scheme is an effort to achieve mileage in meeting up with the universal healthcare coverage and enjoined all civil servants to register without delay to enjoy the healthcare services.

He further said that the hearing aid speaks to the commitment of the government to partner with organizations to provide services, offer support to the people, and develop the State and said that the free medical outreach would reduce patronage to quacks.