Executive Secretary, Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency
Scorecard of Dr Divine Igwe as the Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency is a long roll call to excellence which time might not permit to enumerate. Dr Divine Igwe is a young medical doctor whose passion to repositioning the health sector of Ebonyi State is unequalled to any other in the state. His first appointment stemmed from the search for a committed medical officer whose passion to health sector standardisation is evident. Ebonyi State Government of the past appointed him to head the state’s Health Insurance system which is a viable arm of the health sector with a wide range of scopes.
During his first tenure, the agency recorded a massive success story as the sensitisation the agency under his leadership recorded forty-one thousand participants who registered. It was never like that before the coming of Dr Igwe. Just as I said earlier, time may not permit me to outline his achievements, but I will mention a few of them here:
1. Increase in the number of citizens who registered under the agency to secure their health insurance from zero level to forty-one thousand people.
2. Interface with relevant stakeholders including opinion leaders, religious practitioners, health personnel, traditional rulers, farmers, students and traders to achieve all-inclusive participation and awareness.
3. A regular tour of the different health outposts in the state to ascertain their conditions and needs for restocking through policy reenactment.
4. Sensitisation of Ebonyians on the need to enroll in the scheme as that could help them in achieving prompt and accurate health attention from time to time.
5. Validation of BHCF beneficiaries.
6. Rapid health care attention and removal of people who no longer needed the service with a view to accommodate others in waiting.
7. Proper utilisation of funds
8. Entrenchment formal and informal sector programmes.
9. Digital transformation of the agency and its services.
10. Strategic partnership with private health care providers and institutions to achieve simultaneous awareness.
The achievements of Dr Divine Igwe spurred his reappointment by the new Governor of Ebonyi State, Hon. Francis Nwifuru with the mandate of taking the services of the agency to the topmost radar. His reappointment was celebrated by the stakeholders in the sector and citizens who know the character of Dr Igwe and his commitment to accountability and sense of responsibility. It’s without doubts that Dr Divine Igwe is dedicated to seeing an Ebonyi State with viable health response and services. He has redefined commitment within the short period of time he has been there as the executive secretary of the taxing agency. It’s also worthy of note the eagerness of the current Governor of the state to seeing a working health sector by hiring good brains among whom is Dr Divine Igwe. With these materials brought to task in the most technical and laborious sector of public interest, it’s indubitable that the Ebonyi State of the past in terms of health care is going to be a model for other states of the South East of Nigeria in health care administration and policy enactment.
It’s on this note that I praise the brilliant efforts of Dr Divine Igwe in achieving success in the agency he’s tasked to administer. Ebonyians have no doubt that with him on the saddle, the state is going to rank high on the dashboard of states where health insurance is given rapt and brilliant attention. It’s therefore wise to say that Dr Igwe is a square beg on a square hole in the area of health insurance management and policy formulation. Congratulations on your reappointment, dear Dr Divine O. Igwe, Executive Secretary, Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency.
