Harp initiative adopts Ayamelum indigenes into State Health Insurance

By Okafor Chisom

Healthy Advocacy Research and Prevention(HARP) initiative in collaboration with St Joseph Catholic Hospital Ifite Ogwari adopts no fewer than eight thousand indigenes from the eight communities in Ayamelum LGA comprising of pregnant women, Women of childbearing age and the Elderly into the Anambra State Health insurance Agency (ASHIA).

The Commissioner for Health Dr Afam Obidike flagged off the registration at Ifite Ogwari in Ayamelum Local Government with over one hundred beneficiaries registered by ASHIA staffs.

Dr Obidike during his opening speech said that it is a wonderful initiative stating that the essence of the adoption model of Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme is to pull resources together and help the poor masses to get affordable health services.

He appreciated Dr Chima Onuekwe founder of the initiative and all the individuals that have contributed for the progress of the initiative, he added that the primary healthcare facilities in the communities are being upgraded for easy access of health services from the communities far from St Joseph catholic hospital

The founder of the initiative Dr Chima Onuekwe said during the event that “the partnership with Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme and St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital is to provide free medical services primarily for pregnant women, then women of childbearing age, elderly and children from the whole of Ayamelum”

“We are targeting 1000 beneficiaries from each of the eight communities in Ayamelum local government area and today is the flag off event starting from Ifite Ogwari “

He explained that himself and his partners raised funds together to offset the 12,000 Naira premium payment for healthcare services for the beneficiaries for one year and magnanimously St Joseph’s Hospital has also agreed to write off the ten percent Co payments expected of the beneficiaries.

He noted that they came up with the Operation Healthy Ayamelum initiative because of the rate of preventable deaths that occurs each year especially with pregnant women because of poor healthcare whereas they couldn’t afford to pay for a good hospital for good healthcare services.

“I am personally advocating for health insurance and I encourage other prominent indigenes to key into the adoption model ,what I tell people is register even your own immediate families,leave out even my own but your mother, your father, your cousin, your sister, your nephew, your nieces, register them, make it personal, be selfish about it”.

The Managing Director, ASHIA, Dr Simeon Onyemaechi lauded the efforts made by the entire Ayamelum, an initiative led by Dr Chima Onuekwe and Fr Basil Ekwunife to rally round sons and daughters of Ayamelum local government, from all of the communities across to pay for health insurance through the Adoption Model of ASHIA.

Dr Onyemaechi said that “For today, they have paid to register close to 500 persons and their target is to get to a point where they will have minimum 8000 beneficiaries of Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme in Ayamelum Local Government and it’s a work in progress.

“we encourage every other local government to through initiatives like this come together rally their well meaning citizens,their philanthropist sons and daughters to have a common purse where they will put money to adopt people in health insurance.

“I must commend like the commissioner did,Fr Basilica Ekwunife who is in charge of St. Joseph’s Hospital for waiving the 10% co pay in insurance. I encourage other hospitals across Anambra state to do same, it will help us to have a lot of coverage in ASHIA”.