BY JUMAI NWACHUKWU / AMAYINDI YAKUBU
THE Director-General of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC), Dr. Isaac O. Akpoveta, has restated his commitment to ensuring that every Deltan has access to affordable healthcare through the state’s contributory health insurance scheme.
Dr. Akpoveta made this known while receiving a delegation from the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara. The meeting provided a platform for the doctors to present key concerns affecting healthcare delivery, including understocked hospital pharmacies, referral delays that force pregnant women to travel long distances for care, and the need for improved staff training on insurance processes and quality service delivery.
Responding, the Director- General Delta State Contributory Health Insurance (DSCHC), Dr Isaac Akpoveta, outlined several strategic steps being implemented to strengthen health insurance operations and enhance service efficiency. He disclosed that the Commission is establishing Health Insurance Units (HIUs) in hospitals across the state to streamline enrollee verification and reduce administrative bottlenecks.
According to him, each unit will have designated record officers and the Commission personnel working from a front desk equipped with computers for real-time data capture and transmission. “Once a person is registered there, every detail is automatically transmitted to our system, and we can take immediate action,” Dr. Akpoveta explained.
He urged hospitals to ensure that record officers are on duty at all times for patient registration and verification, stressing that this would eliminate delays caused by dependence on a single staff member and ultimately improve patient satisfaction.
Dr. Akpoveta also cautioned medical practitioners against prescribing costly third-generation drugs when affordable and equally effective alternatives exist. He emphasised the need for ongoing professional education, noting that health insurance administration is not typically included in traditional medical training.
To improve cost control and ensure steady drug availability, the Director- General announced plans to train pharmacy and accounts personnel on proper drug costing and inventory management. “There is no excuse not to have drugs in stock. Capitation is paid in advance to enable hospitals to procure medications before patients arrive,” he said, adding that the Commission would continue to monitor compliance closely.
Reassuring the doctors, Dr. Akpoveta confirmed that capitation payments are released ahead of time to help health facilitie++s maintain consistent drug supplies and reduce patients’ out-of-pocket expenses.
In his remarks the President of the DELSUTH ARD Dr. Oghentega Ejeheri, commended Dr. Akpoveta for his proactive engagement and responsiveness. He reiterated the association’s appeal for improved staffing levels at clinical departments, a fully functional insurance office within the hospital, steady drug supplies, and the removal of referral obstacles that could endanger patients, especially expectant mothers.
Also speaking, the Vice President of ARD DELSUTH, Dr. Etetufia Eseoghene, who is coordinating the association’s upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for December 1–6, extended an invitation to Dr. Akpoveta to deliver the keynote lecture titled “Beyond Posterity: Shaping a Stronger Healthcare Future for Nigeria.”
