When he declared that he would work even harder in his second tenure than in his first, many doubted him. Their scepticism was understandable; most politicians tend to ease off once they secure a final term in office.
But Governor Hope Uzodimma has proved them wrong.
From the iconic Assumpta Flyover to the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, the Light Up Imo project, and the construction of brand-new general hospitals, the evidence is everywhere. Uzodimma is not resting on his oars.
The ongoing rehabilitation of Concorde Hotel, the continuation of his road revolution, and the upgrade of the Imo Airport into a full-fledged international airport all point to one fact: Uzodimma’s second term has been just as busy, if not busier, than the first.
What has truly set Uzodimma’s second tenure apart are the people-centric policies that directly impact the welfare of Imo citizens.
First, hundreds of retirees who had not received their gratuities in over two decades finally got a new lease of life when the governor directed their payment. The relief was palpable.
Even before that excitement faded, Uzodimma launched a new initiative – an ambitious health insurance scheme for all residents of Imo State, whether indigene or not.
Under the scheme, each resident is required to register with a token fee of fifteen thousand, five hundred naira (N15,500) annually. This qualifies them for free treatment at any government hospital or designated private health facility in the state.
The coverage includes surgeries as well as prenatal and postnatal delivery services.
To encourage mass participation, the government is urging residents to register at any of the 654 communities or 305 health centres across Imo State.
To further incentivise enrolment, Governor Uzodimma has introduced a cash award for the community with the highest number of enrollees in each of the 27 local government areas.
How feasible is that, one might ask? Does the government truly have the capacity, in terms of facilities, to run such a large-scale welfare programme, especially given the current economic realities?
This is where deliberate planning and determined effort come into play.
Fortunately, Governor Uzodimma has already been laying the groundwork, albeit on a smaller scale. For nearly three years, both civil servants and pensioners in the state have benefitted from a government-funded health insurance scheme.
In their case, the government paid the premium directly. Under the Imo State Health Insurance Agency, these government pikins no longer worry about footing hospital bills when health challenges arise.
Encouraged by the scheme’s success at the civil service level, Uzodimma decided to raise the bar by introducing universal health coverage for all residents of Imo State.
To ensure the programme’s sustainability, a ten-point implementation template was developed.
The first step is a massive enrolment drive into the ImoCare Health Insurance Programme across the state’s 654 communities.
Sensitisation has already begun, spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, with announcements in churches, village gatherings, and the media.
The governor’s cash award initiative will no doubt add a fillip to the momentum.
The second step involves building prototype Primary Health Centres across the 305 INEC wards in the state.
It is worth noting that one of Uzodimma’s first actions upon assuming office in 2020 was the renovation of existing health centres across Imo. These centres are being equipped and stocked with essential drugs.
The goal is to ensure that rural dwellers have access to quality healthcare.
The construction of the prototype Primary Health Centres is aimed at upgrading both the capacity and service delivery of these facilities.
Under step three, each of these centres will be fully equipped to provide basic healthcare services.
Building on that foundation, the government is prioritising the recruitment and training of health-sector personnel. This marks step four in the implementation plan.
It’s not that this vital area was ever neglected, far from it. Rather, the focus now is on strengthening the human resources for health through the recruitment of qualified professionals.
Already, the administration has revived previously abandoned health facilities for the training of nurses and midwives. These centres are now operating optimally, making it easier to source qualified personnel from within the state.
Under step five, the government is implementing an enhanced salary scale for medical personnel in the state – doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, and others.
This measure is designed to attract qualified professionals and discourage them from seeking employment elsewhere.
Already, the government has met all outstanding demands regarding salaries and allowances for health workers, and their pay has been running smoothly, just like that of other civil servants in the state.
Step six involves the continued training of health workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists.
Ordinarily, such training is routine. However, in this context, it has become urgent, as the state anticipates a significant increase in patient volume resulting from the health insurance scheme.
As noted earlier, one of Uzodimma’s first actions as governor was to revamp the health sector. About three brand-new hospitals were swiftly constructed, while existing ones were rehabilitated to provide secondary healthcare services across the state.
With the health insurance scheme now in motion, the government is moving to build more general hospitals that will serve as referral centres for the primary health centres. This forms step seven of the holistic implementation template.
The initiative has already received commendation from the Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Amara Iwuanyanwu, whose constituency is benefitting from one of the new general hospitals.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in Nwangele Local Government, he described the project as a significant milestone for his constituents.
Just as the general hospitals will serve as referral centres for the primary health facilities, so too will the newly upgraded Imo Specialist Hospital, Umuguma, and the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu (IMSUTH), function as referral centres for the general hospitals.
These two institutions were in a deplorable state when Uzodimma assumed office. The Medical and Dental Council had withdrawn IMSUTH’s accreditation, and for five years, no medical doctors could graduate from the institution.
Thanks to Uzodimma’s intervention, through extensive rehabilitation and re-equipping, IMSUTH has now successfully graduated about four batches of medical doctors.
Today, it stands as one of the leading tertiary hospitals in the South East in terms of infrastructure and personnel, fully capable of handling medical emergencies.
This forms step eight in the implementation of the ImoCare Health Insurance Programme.
Recognising that drug availability is vital to the success of the health insurance scheme, Uzodimma’s administration made it step nine in the implementation plan.
To that end, a brand-new drug management system has been established and fully stocked.
Under this system, drug shortages will no longer hinder the smooth operation of the programme. It is expected that all levels of health institutions – primary health centres, general hospitals, and tertiary facilities – will be consistently supplied with genuine, high-quality medications.
Finally, under step ten, the government plans a strategic posting and redistribution of health workers to areas where they are most needed.
In other words, rural communities will no longer be abandoned or underserved, while urban centres will no longer carry an oversupply of health personnel.
Personnel deployment will be guided by the principle of matching expertise with local needs. The ultimate goal is to ensure an equitable distribution of staff for optimal service delivery.
That, in a nutshell, is Governor Hope Uzodimma’s vision: to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of every Imo indigene and resident.
In the months ahead, Imo State may well become a model for how to deliver affordable and quality healthcare to all.
Emelumba is Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy.
