One of the newly inaugurated Primary Health Centres in Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom State Government has moved steadily to restore public confidence in its healthcare facilities by initiating programmes and policies that have expanded access and provided the people with improved services.
With the construction of new Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in all 31 local government areas of the state and the renovation and upgrade of secondary healthcare facilities in many parts of the state, in addition to the declaration of a state of emergency in the health sector, the requirement of health workers and the introduction of a health insurance scheme, Akwa Ibom has recorded a significant leap forward in healthcare services.
First, the state of emergency in the health sector declared by the state government was borne out of the urgent need to arrest the rising maternal mortality numbers in the state, as “no pregnant woman should lose her life through childbirth.”
Under the key directives during the emergency rule, as announced by Aniekan Umanah, commissioner for information, the upgrade of medical facilities across the state with an inter-ministerial steering committee constituted to ensure effective implementation of the emergency regime.
Under the emergency rule, there have been health sector reforms and the digitisation of the drug distribution system, as well as the modernisation of health training institutions for capacity development, the state government further explained.
As part of the reforms in the sector, the state government has also launched a health insurance scheme to boost access to affordable medical care. This programme, launched in September 2024, has been seen as a major boost to healthcare delivery in the state.
The scheme allows people in both the formal and informal sectors of the state’s economy to enrol in the scheme with the payment of a certain amount of money for a period of one year, which will be subsequently renewed, and this would cover members of the family.
Some Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), private medical facilities, as well as secondary health institutions are selected for the scheme, while referrals could be to both the secondary healthcare facilities.
Launching the scheme earlier, which is also known as Arisecare, a key component of the state government’s Arise Agenda, its economic blueprint, the governor used the opportunity to approve the payment of N180m for the initial enrolment of 9,150 junior civil servants of grade level 1-6 in the state civil service, which has seen enrolment expanded to cover 170,000 lives less than two years after it was launched.
According to the commissioner for health, Dr Ekem Emmanuel John, the health insurance scheme has been extended to over 100 retired permanent secretaries in the state civil service, adding that it shows “we are beginning to evolve a situation where those who served the government on retirement can have access to healthcare services at an affordable rate.”
The commissioner explained that through the health insurance scheme, a total of 481,000 engagements were made between 2024 and 2025, while 126,000 persons had medical consultations free of charge, with 1,606 surgeries performed and 1,012 vaginal deliveries carried out, adding that out of the 1,606 surgeries, 489 were caesarean sections,’’ he said.
In addition, the state government has flagged off various intervention programmes, including vaccination campaigns against measles and rubella, and has concluded plans to distribute insecticide-treated beds to every household across the 31 local government areas.
Indeed, the reforms and innovations introduced by the state government have brought about improvement in healthcare services in Akwa Ibom State. From the recruitment of 2000 health workers to the renovation and construction of health facilities and the introduction of health insurance schemes, there have been profound changes in the health sector that brought a far-reaching impact on the lives of the people.
According to Dr John, the reforms have started yielding dividends, as new patient visits to health facilities more than doubled since last year, maintaining that public confidence has been restored in government healthcare facilities.
“In 2023, we had 23,208 visits; it moved to 68,000 in 2024 and then moved to 481,000 in 2025, almost a 4000 per cent increase in new patient visits.
“Our hospitals last year did a total of 4000 surgeries; that is a significant achievement.
“This is a reflection that the reforms and the increased supervision are beginning to restore public confidence in our facilities,” he said.
