Joy and relief echoed across Ebonyi State, Tuesday as beneficiaries of the third phase of the state’s Medical and Surgical Intervention Project poured out their gratitude to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, his wife Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency (EBSHIA).
Speaking at a press briefing in Abakaliki, the Executive Secretary of EBSHIA, Dr. Divine Igwe, disclosed that 1,283 residents received life-saving medical and surgical care free of charge under the programme, which spanned 47 hospitals across the state.
“This third phase alone covered 626 eye screenings, 113 eye surgeries, 518 hernia repairs, 126 fibroid removals, and 13 lung operations. All were conducted by consultants and professors to ensure quality,” Dr. Igwe announced, describing the initiative as “dignity restored and destinies preserved.”
At the hospital visits, patients shared their relief with journalists.
Peter Ewa, who had lived with a painful hernia for years, said with tears: “I thought I would never be able to afford this surgery. Today, I can walk freely without shame or pain. God bless our Governor, his wife, and Dr. Igwe for this miracle.”
Mrs. Oliver Nwekpa, another beneficiary, narrated how her marriage had nearly collapsed due to infertility caused by fibroids. “For years I carried this burden. Today, I feel like a new born. This free surgery has given me back my dignity and hope for motherhood,” she said joyfully.
A 23-year-old glaucoma patient, who was weeks away from total blindness, said the intervention saved her future. “Hospitals demanded over one million naira I could not afford. But through this programme, my sight has been restored. I will never forget this kindness,” she recounted.
Dr. Igwe commended Governor Nwifuru for “ending medical tourism and catastrophic health spending” in Ebonyi. He explained that the state’s health financing model, anchored on insurance, ensured sustainability and hospital development.
He also lauded the Governor’s wife, who has enrolled 4,078 pregnant women and 300 sickle cell patients into health insurance coverage, calling her “the mother-general of the state.”
“Healthcare is not charity at all. It is dignity restored. Every life touched is a destiny preserved,” Dr. Igwe declared, noting that the project also marked Ebonyi State’s 29th anniversary with “surgical access for all.”
As journalists toured the hospitals, many beneficiaries spontaneously offered prayers for the state government and health workers.
“This is the true meaning of the People’s Charter of Needs,” one elderly man said. “Instead of traveling abroad or selling land for treatment, our people are healed right here at home.”
With 90 percent of surgeries already concluded and more underway, Ebonyi State is fast emerging as a model for accessible and inclusive healthcare in Nigeria.
