The Governor of Akwa Inom, Umo Eno has said that the health insurance scheme will begin in June to give the state’s people easier access to healthcare services.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh, shared this development during an interview in Uyo on Friday while speaking on the government’s achievements in the first year in office.

Umoh said the scheme’s essence was to relieve families of the burden of the exorbitant cost of healthcare services. He said the governor remained quite passionate about the health and well-being of the people.

“This is clearly evident in the governor’s primary healthcare programmes across the state.

The health insurance scheme will be a long-term intervention to give 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 Agency’s Executive Secretary has been appointed.

“The health insurance scheme will benefit everyone, especially the vulnerable and the poor; 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,” Umoh said.

The commissioner said that Eno 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.

“Recently, we inaugurated a well-equiped model primary healthcare centre at Ikot Nkwo in Ibesikpo, Asutan,” he added.

He added that the governor intended to replicate the model primary healthcare centres across the state’s 10 federal constituencies.

“The governor is passionate about the health and welfare of the people; you can see that clearly on how he has handled the primary healthcare sector.

“The governor has undertaken a complete review of the primary healthcare system. We recently inaugurated a well-equipped primary healthcare model at Ibesikpo Asutan.

“That facility has solar lights and staff quarters to deliver effective service. Thus, will be replicated in other parts of the state.

“Let me even tell you that about 12 of these model centres are already being built across the state,” he stated.

The commissioner further said that the governor had approved the recruitment of 200 health workers in the state.

“The essence is to provide manpower for effective service delivery to the people,” he noted.