The Abia State Government has introduced a digital application, CyTrack, to identify and monitor high-risk pregnancies as part of efforts to improve maternal healthcare and reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.
Kanu said the application had already been successfully piloted in tracking teenage pregnancies and monitoring cases through delivery, enabling health officials to identify potential complications early and provide appropriate intervention.
He said the initiative was part of the health sector reforms of the Governor Alex Otti-led administration aimed at improving access to quality healthcare and strengthening maternal and child health services.
The Commissioner also disclosed that 151 Primary Healthcare Centres, PHCs, had so far been functionalised across the state, with an additional 25 equipped centres expected to become operational within the next three weeks.
According to him, the first 50 functionalised PHCs accounted for more than 20 percent of the over 1.067 million outpatient visits recorded in Abia between July 2025 and June 2026.
On health insurance, Kanu said enrolment in the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme increased from 233,000 to 237,000 between July 27 and August 7.
He disclosed that the Abiriba Community Improvement Union in North America had also committed to sponsoring more than 1,000 indigent residents under the informal sector of the state’s health insurance scheme.
The Commissioner called on other communities, organisations and individuals to support the initiative and help expand healthcare access for vulnerable residents.
Kanu further announced plans to recruit additional healthcare professionals, saying 742 medical personnel had already been employed under the ongoing reforms.
He said the next phase of recruitment would focus on medical officers, dental officers and consultants, including both full-time and part-time practitioners.
The Commissioner also disclosed that no major disease of public health importance, including Ebola, Lassa fever, COVID-19, diphtheria, cholera, mpox and yellow fever, was recorded in the state during the period under review.
Meanwhile, the State Government has directed the Ministry of Housing to rehabilitate and sanitise the World Bank Housing Estate at Abayi-Umuocham in Aba.
Kanu said remedial works would include improvements to roads and other facilities within the estate.
He added that the Ministry of Housing would collaborate with the Ministry of Works on rainy-season maintenance of roads within Amauba Estate, pending their permanent reconstruction.
The government has also provided a new transformer for Amauba Estate to address electricity challenges in the area.
The Commissioner said the state would soon commence activities marking the 35th anniversary of Abia’s creation with a week-long programme focused on project inaugurations and the flag-off of new projects.
He said the programme would exclude the traditional jamboree and awards, with projects such as the Obingwa General Hospital, Cottage Hospital, Abayi, Aba, and the Pocket Layout Estate in Umuahia scheduled for inauguration and flag-off respectively.
Kanu said the anniversary activities would provide an opportunity for the administration to showcase its development projects and the impact of its reforms across the state.
