The Abia government has introduced a digital application, ‘CyTrack’, to identify and track high-risk pregnancies to improve maternal healthcare and reduce maternal and child mortality.

The commissioner for information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.

Mr Kanu said that the application had been piloted successfully in tracking teenage pregnancies and monitoring the cases through delivery, enabling health officials to identify and manage potential complications.

He said that the initiative formed part of the health sector reforms of the Governor Alex Otti-led administration aimed at improving access to quality healthcare and strengthening maternal and child health services.

According to him, the present administration’s reforms in the health sector have continued to attract national recognition.

The commissioner cited a recent assessment by Philips Consulting and SBI, which ranked Abia first in healthcare affordability and among the top three states in healthcare quality in the country.

He said that the report also placed Abia among the top three states in 13 out of 16 indicators of good governance measured by citizens’ perception.

Mr Kanu described the recognition as an independent validation of the transformation taking place in the state’s health sector.

The commissioner said that data from the health ministry also showed that functionalised primary healthcare centres had become focal points for increased healthcare activities, including outpatient consultations and deliveries.

He said that the first 50 functionalised PHCs accounted for more than 20 per cent of the over 1.067 million outpatient department visits recorded in the state between July 2025 and June 2026.

Mr Kanu said that three additional PHCs had been functionalised between July 27 and August 10, bringing the total number of functionalised PHCs to 151. He added that another 25 equipped PHCs would be functionalised within the next three weeks.

On health insurance, Mr Kanu said that enrolment in the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme increased from 233,000 to 237,000 between July 27 and August 7.

He also said that no disease of public health importance, such as Ebola, Lassa fever, COVID-19, diphtheria, cholera, mpox and yellow fever, was recorded in the state during the period under review.

The commissioner also disclosed that some communities and groups had indicated interest in supporting indigent residents to access healthcare via the insurance under the informal sector. He said that the Abiriba Community Improvement Union, North America, had committed to sponsoring more than 1,000 persons under the scheme.

Mr Kanu called on other communities and organisations to emulate the initiative and support efforts to expand health insurance coverage among vulnerable residents. He further announced plans by the State Civil Service Commission to recruit additional healthcare professionals as part of the ongoing reforms.

According to him, 742 medical personnel had so far been recruited, while the next phase would focus on medical officers, dental officers and consultants, and the consultants would include both full-time and part-time practitioners.

Mr Kanu disclosed that the recruitment portal would open on Monday night, urging qualified candidates to apply.

On housing, the commissioner said the state government had directed the Ministry of Housing to rehabilitate and sanitise the World Bank Housing Estate, Abayi-Umuocham in Aba.

He said that remedial works would be undertaken on the estate, including improvements to roads and other facilities.

Mr Kanu also said that the Ministry of Housing had been directed to collaborate with the Ministry of Works to carry out rainy-season maintenance on roads within Amauba Estate.

He said that the intervention was intended to improve accessibility pending permanent reconstruction of the estate roads.

He added that the Abia government had provided a new transformer for Amauba Estate to address the electricity challenges confronting residents.

Mr Kanu also announced plans to mark the 35th anniversary of the creation of Abia with a week-long programme focusing on project inauguration and the flag-off of new projects.

He said that the celebration would differ from previous editions, as the government would not organise the traditional jamboree and awards.

According to him, the Obingwa General Hospital and Cottage Hospital, Abayi, Aba, were among the projects scheduled for inauguration, while the Pocket Layout Estate in Umuahia would be flagged off.

Mr Kanu said the anniversary activities would provide another opportunity to showcase the administration’s transformation agenda and its impact on the lives of residents.

(NAN)