In a passionate and urgent call to action, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Imo State Health Insurance Agency (IMSHIA), Dr. Uchenna Ewelike, has charged primary healthcare workers across Imo State to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth.
Dr. Ewelike made this charge during a pivotal meeting on the implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), held at the IMSHIA State Office in Owerri on Tuesday. The meeting brought together Directors of Primary Health Care from the 27 Local Government Areas of the state.
The charge, he noted, aligns with the directive of the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator (Dr.) Hope Uzodimma, to protect the lives of mothers and children across all communities in the state.
Dr. Ewelike explained that the purpose of the meeting was to strategize on how to capture and support every pregnant woman in Imo State with a firm commitment to leave no one behind.
He revealed that preliminary data from implementing PHCs has already identified over 12,000 pregnant women across the state consequently, the Agency targets about 30,000 more in the enrollment drive.
He further emphasized that IMSHIA is fully prepared to provide timely interventions in cases of childbirth complications, adding that maternal deaths are preventable and unacceptable.
“We cannot continue to lose women in their prime to childbirth complications that can be prevented,” Dr. Ewelike stressed.
He charged every PHC Coordinator to return to the grassroots and mobilize pregnant women in their communities while stating that IMSHIA has both the mandate and resources to ensure safe, seamless deliveries for every woman in Imo State today.
