Enugu Govt Intensifies Drive for Universal Health Coverage Enrollment

The Enugu State Government says it is intensifying efforts to increase enrollment in its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme in a bid to expand access to affordable healthcare services across the state.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage (ESAUHC), Dr Edith Okolo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a UHC Multi-Stakeholder Implementation Meeting held in Enugu.

Dr Okolo said that although the agency had recorded significant progress since the commencement of the programme, more work remained in changing public perception about health insurance.

According to her, many residents initially viewed the scheme with suspicion despite its low premium and extensive healthcare benefits.

“Some people think it is a scam to access healthcare with just N12,000 per year, but we are getting positive testimonies from beneficiaries who paid N12,000 and successfully accessed healthcare services,” she said.

She explained that health insurance remained mandatory under both the National Health Insurance Authority Law of 2021 and the Enugu State Health Sector Reform Law of 2017.

However, she noted that the state government was currently prioritising public sensitisation and persuasion over immediate enforcement.

“We are trying to appeal to people by showing them the benefits instead of enforcing it immediately, but our next stage will involve enforcement measures,” she stated.

Dr Okolo revealed that future enforcement measures could include requiring evidence of health insurance before accessing certain government services, school admissions, or business licence renewals.

She further disclosed that the agency was considering the introduction of health insurance certification as part of business licensing requirements in the state.

Speaking on the benefits of the scheme, the ESAUHC boss said the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services covered common illnesses including malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, hypertension, diabetes, diarrhoea, arthritis, paediatric illnesses and snake bites.

She added that beneficiaries were entitled to consultations, laboratory tests, medications, surgeries and hospital admissions covered under the package without additional payments.

“It also covers surgeries such as appendectomy and caesarean section, with up to 20 days hospital admission for surgical cases and 15 days for medical cases,” she said.

Dr Okolo stated that the agency was currently undertaking a special enrollment exercise targeting vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children under five years, persons living with disabilities, elderly persons aged 85 years and above, and extremely poor residents.

According to her, the state aims to enroll at least 45,000 vulnerable persons under the free healthcare scheme jointly funded by the state and federal governments.

For other residents, she said enrollment remained open at an annual premium of N12,000, with flexible payment plans introduced to ease financial burden.

“We understand that paying N12,000 at once may be difficult for some families, so we introduced installment options of N200 daily for 60 days or N400 daily for 30 days,” she explained.

She added that the scheme currently partners with state-owned primary healthcare facilities, faith-based hospitals and private hospitals across the state.

According to her, the long-term objective is to ensure that every local government area in Enugu State has accessible accredited healthcare providers under the scheme.

Dr Okolo explained that the quarterly stakeholders’ meeting was organised to strengthen collaboration and encourage active participation among institutions and groups involved in implementing universal health coverage in the state.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Enugu State, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, urged the government to subsidise the scheme for civil servants to encourage wider participation.

“Workers see the N12,000 premium as high. If government can pay 70 per cent while workers contribute 30 per cent, more workers will enroll into the scheme,” Nwigbo said.