The Director-General of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC), Dr. Isaac O. Akpoveta, has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that every resident of Delta State has access to affordable healthcare through the state’s contributory health insurance scheme.
Dr. Akpoveta made this statement while meeting with a delegation from the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara. During the meeting, the doctors highlighted key challenges affecting healthcare delivery, including understocked hospital pharmacies, referral delays that force pregnant women to travel long distances for care, and the need for enhanced staff training on insurance processes and quality service provision.
In response, Dr. Akpoveta outlined strategic measures the Commission is implementing to strengthen health insurance operations and improve service efficiency. He revealed plans to establish Health Insurance Units (HIUs) in hospitals across the state to streamline enrollee verification and reduce administrative bottlenecks. Each unit will be staffed with designated record officers and Commission personnel at a front desk equipped with computers for real-time data capture and transmission. “Once a person is registered, every detail is automatically transmitted to our system, allowing immediate action,” he explained.
He urged hospitals to ensure record officers are always available for patient registration and verification, stressing that this would eliminate delays caused by reliance on a single staff member and improve patient satisfaction.
Dr. Akpoveta also advised medical practitioners to avoid prescribing expensive third-generation drugs when effective and affordable alternatives are available. He emphasized the importance of ongoing professional education, noting that health insurance administration is rarely covered in traditional medical training.
To enhance cost management and maintain steady drug supplies, he announced plans to train pharmacy and accounts staff on proper drug costing and inventory management. “There is no excuse for hospitals to run out of drugs. Capitation payments are made in advance so facilities can procure medications before patients arrive,” he said, adding that the Commission will closely monitor compliance.
He reassured the doctors that capitation payments are released ahead of time to help hospitals maintain consistent drug supplies and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients.
In his remarks, the President of DELSUTH ARD, Dr. Oghentega Ejeheri, praised Dr. Akpoveta for his proactive engagement and responsiveness. He reiterated the association’s request for improved staffing in clinical departments, a fully functional insurance office within the hospital, steady drug supplies, and the removal of referral barriers that could put patients, particularly expectant mothers, at risk.
Also speaking, the Vice President of ARD DELSUTH, Dr. Etetufia Eseoghene, who is coordinating the association’s upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for December 1–6, invited Dr. Akpoveta to deliver the keynote lecture titled, “Beyond Posterity: Shaping a Stronger Healthcare Future for Nigeria.”
