The Ebonyi State Government has announced plans to enrol an additional 200,000 residents into the state’s Health Insurance Scheme as part of efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare.
Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru disclosed this on Thursday when he received the National Executive Committee of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, led by its President, Professor Apollos Ndukuba, at the Government House in Abakaliki.
Governor Nwifuru said his administration remained committed to improving the welfare of medical doctors, healthcare workers and allied health professionals in the state.
He said the government had increased the remuneration of medical personnel, recruited doctors and other healthcare workers, and provided mobility support for doctors serving in the state’s general hospitals.
According to the Governor, the administration had also revitalised the state’s 13 general hospitals through major infrastructural interventions aimed at bringing quality healthcare closer to residents, particularly those in rural communities.
He said the increased activities in the hospitals had created a greater need for specialist doctors and consultants to complement the work of resident doctors.
Nwifuru therefore appealed to members of MDCAN to support the state’s healthcare system by offering their expertise, including through adjunct or part-time appointments.
“Let me also inform you that the Commissioner for Health in the state has briefed me about the need to bring consultants into the 13 general hospitals. I am happy you are here. Please volunteer, even if on adjunct or part-time basis,” the Governor said.
He explained that the government’s investment in healthcare was driven by its commitment to improving the wellbeing of citizens.
“In Ebonyi, we believe that when we go into government, we prioritise the welfare of others,” Nwifuru stated.
Earlier, the President of MDCAN, Professor Apollos Ndukuba, described the association as a body of medical specialists and experts responsible for training doctors and providing specialised healthcare services in public teaching hospitals.
He said the association’s National Executive Council meeting, tagged “Salt City NEC August 2026 Meeting,” was themed “Mitigating Health Impact of Nigeria’s Rising Multidimensional Poverty: The Dilemma of the Healthcare Provider in a Strained Economy and the Demand of Work.”
Ndukuba described the theme as timely and relevant, given the economic challenges confronting both healthcare providers and citizens.
He commended Governor Nwifuru for the infrastructure and other investments across the state’s healthcare sector, expressing appreciation for the improvements recorded in the medical facilities.
The planned additional enrolment of 200,000 residents is expected to expand health insurance coverage and further support the state government’s efforts to improve access to quality healthcare across Ebonyi.
