Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Delta State Contributory Health Commission, Dr Isaac Akpoveta says maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the state have drastically reduced following Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s huge budgetary allocations to the health insurance scheme.
Dr Akpoveta stated this in Asaba while rolling out the achievements of Governor Oborevwori’s administration in the state contributory health insurance scheme.
He hinted that the administration of Governor Oborevwori had spent over 3 .5 billion naira in financing the equity health plan which provides free medical care for all pregnant women from antenatal to delivery, including caesarean section.
Dr Akpoveta revealed that zero point five percent of the state annual budget is earmarked for supporting the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
The Delta State Contributory Health Commission Director General stated further that Governor Oborevwori accords priority to the health of every Deltan and resident in the state especially pregnant women and children under 5, who have continued to receive free healthcare.
He said Governor Oborevwori had warned that no health personnel should collect money under whatever guise , for treatment of any pregnant woman and children under 5 years .
Dr Akpoveta stated, ” Governor Sheriff Oborewvori has directed that with effect from January 1, 2026, no pregnant woman should be made to pay any money for treatment under the guise of registration until delivery”
He hinted that enrolment into the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme had increased from 1.3 million to over 2.78 million since the inception of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
Dr Akpoveta attributed the sharp increase in the enrolment to the innovation initiatives introduced into the scheme to make quality healthcare easily accessible by patients without delay.
”We came in when the enrolment figure was one point three million; one point four million. Now, it is over two point seven eight million. How? Initiatives; innovations. We have won awards for the best innovative health insurance in Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, South South Zone. Under the indigent enrollees initiative, many people have been enrolled with payment of insurance premium by well to do Deltans. Some did for 500 persons, 1000 persons at once. I did 3,500 for my people in my village. Again, we have three hundred and fifty agents in Delta State carrying out registration of enrollees everyday. The good thing is we motivate agents with good pay, and allowances”, Akpoveta stated.
Continuing, Dr Akpoveta said ” The scheme has advanced to the extent that any activity on the scheme anywhere in the state will be on the dashboard. Even, we have hospitals in Lagos, Abuja, providing quality healthcare for Deltans in those locations. Even the registration they do over there , hit our dashboard. So, we have achieved enrolment figure that is second to none in the country. Delta has the highest enrollee number in the federation. In terms of spread, we cover the whole state, down to the rural areas and hard to reach areas of the state. This commission has been able to provide doctors and nurses in those areas through access to finance. In terms of quality, we have done something that is very unique, and the first of its kind in this country. We have out there, over 300 service quality monitors across major hospitals to ensure that patients are properly looked after ; prescriptions are dispensed to them correctly; treatment given to them; and this is ongoing”
He warned that sanctions would be melted on any erring medical personnel caught collecting money for treatment from pregnant women, saying that the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had been funding the medical bills of pregnant women and children under 5 which according to him are in the equity.
Dr Akpoveta attributed all the successes of the health contributory sector to the state governor for his strong political will and sustainable financial support backing the health sector in ensuring that every household has access to better health in the state.
The Chief Executive Officer, noted that the State Contributory Health Scheme was officially launched on January 1, 2017, but gained renewed momentum due to continuity in leadership, which he described as rare in public service.
Akpoveta hinted that the state Contributory Health Scheme is ranked first in Nigeria in health insurance enrollment, with over 2.7 million enrollees, making Delta the leading state in health insurance coverage nationwide.
He said the scheme now operates across the entire state, including rural and hard-to-reach communities where some residents had never previously accessed medical care.
The DG also explained how the commission had advanced into digital technology to promote transparency and eliminate fraud, verifying beneficiaries through facial recognition technology before receiving treatment to ensure that only registered enrollees benefit from the scheme.
He further disclosed that special health insurance units were being established in major hospitals, with dedicated doctors, to reduce waiting time and complaints among beneficiaries.
He called on corporate organizations, individuals, and development partners to support through their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
During a session with officers in charge of primary health centres in the state, Dr Akpoveta reiterated the directive of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori that all pregnant women and children under five should be given free medical treatment.
Mrs Ogbo Ifeoma, Officer in charge of Primary health centres, Ika North East local government area, gave an assurance that they would comply fully with the directive.
Highlight of the event was a question and answer session between Dr Akpoveta and over forty journalists from various national and local media organisations.
