From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The Imo state government has said that it would partner with the National Health Insurance Scheme to improve health care delivery in the rural communities.

The deputy governor, Prof Placid Njoku, who stated this on Tuesday at the government when the newly posted NHIS state coordinator, Dr Uche Ewelike, and his team paid him a courtesy call, said that NHIS was an important organization in healthcare delivery of the nation.

Njoku, said that in making sure that more people in the rural areas had access to primary and health Care, the government would partner NHIS in improving the health centers in the state and equipping the 27 general hospitals in the state.

He also disclosed that at the tertiary level that the state government would provide diagnostic centers.

The deputy governor said, ” we didn’t meet a good health care system when came on board.Now, we are putting structures, system to promote health in the state. To review the primary Health care system of the State, the governor Hope Uzodinma has Provided 27 ambulances for all the LGAs of the State nd a data system.

Adding, “The state has seven mobile clinics. The clinics are fully equipped to bring immediate relief to emergency issues.

“For the secondary health care system, we will make sure that we have functional general hospitals in all the LGAs of the State.

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“At the tertary level, we have IMSUTH Umuguma hospital and Okigwe hospital and to cap it up with diagonastic centers

Continuing he said, “To have a functional Heath care schemes become very import in provision of quality healthcare to our people

” In order to achieve this, you need to work with the government. It is Important to have a system that functions optimally. A system that is sensitive to the people and that meets the target.”

Speaking earlier, the NHIS state coordinator advocated for payroll deduction for the state health care workers.

Ewelike also urged the state government to ensure equity funds deduction for the less privileged and other in the informal sector.

He said that the state had benefited N301m from the nation’s National Health Act with a target of 25,000 people.

Meanwhile, Ewelike appealed to the state government to provide NHIS with land for the building of a permanent office.