The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Imo State Health Insurance Agency (IMSHIA), Dr. Uchenna Ewelike, has emphasized that political will remains the single most important factor for success in health financing.
Dr. Ewelike made this known while speaking as a panelist at the National Health Financing Dialogue 2025, Transcorp Hotel Abuja where stakeholders from across Nigeria converged to deliberate on sustainable pathways for health financing and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
According to the Thoroughbred Health Economist, the remarkable progress recorded in Imo State’s health insurance scheme is directly linked to the strong political backing of the State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Distinguished Senator (Dr.) Hope Uzodimma.
“What we are doing in Imo is possible because Governor Hope Uzodimma has given us all the political support needed for implementation,” Dr. Ewelike noted.
He commended the Governor’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing health insurance as a tool for expanding access to affordable healthcare, stressing that without political will, reforms in the sector would remain slow and unsustainable.
Dr. Ewelike further disclosed that the enrollment of 2.7 million residents of Imo State into the ImoCare Health Insurance Programme would not have been possible without the political support of the Governor.
