The Cross River State Government has relaunched the formal sector of the state health insurance scheme and made enrolment compulsory for all public and civil servants in the state.
Speaking at the relaunch ceremony in Calabar on Thursday, the Director-General of the Cross River State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Godwin Iyala, said the scheme was designed to make healthcare accessible, affordable and qualitative for workers and their families.
He said, “Let me start by commending the Head of Service who has shown and demonstrated a very special interest to ensure that we succeed in our onerous task of bringing not just the civil servants or public servants of Cross River State onto the scheme, but all residents of the state.”
He explained that while N1,000 is deducted monthly from civil servants’ salaries for health insurance, workers are only considered active on the scheme after registration, biometric capture and empanelment to a health facility.
“Empanelment simply means allocating you to a health facility where you will be receiving care with your card,” he stated.
Iyala noted that only 17,000 civil servants are currently on the scheme, out of more than twice that number in the service, and urged others to take advantage of new enrolment points at the Head of Service’s office, the Ministry of Health in the Old Secretariat and the agency’s office along the Marian axis in Calabar.
The Director-General added that spouses and children under the age of 18 are also covered under the scheme.
Iyala also commended Governor Bassey Otu, his wife, Dr Eyoanwan Otu, for enrolling 600 aged persons for two years, and the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, for enrolling 1,000 vulnerable persons in Ogoja Local Government Area of the state.
The Head of Service, Hon. Orok Bassey, said the government was committed to the well-being of civil servants and announced that proof of enrolment would now be required to access key services.
“Going forward, if you come to Civil Service Commission for Promotion Interview, you have to show your health insurance enrollment card. If you come to Head of Service to stamp loan form, you have to show your health insurance enrollment card.
“You cannot access facility in the bank if you are not enrolled. If you don’t have your enrollment card, don’t go to look for promotion implementation,” Bassey said.
The Head of Service further added that monthly aerobics and medical checks introduced for civil servants had helped many discover conditions such as hypertension and diabetes early.
Senior Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Universal Health Coverage, Dr David Oshie, recounted how a director in the civil service received free treatment at the General Hospital after the agency intervened.
“Many of our people have benefited from this scheme. There was a Director in the State civil service who received free treatment at General Hospital in Calabar when we intervened. From that moment till days before he was discharged, he didn’t pay one naira extra,” Oshie said.
Oshie disclosed that Cross River was recognised by the Federal Ministry of Health in 2025 as the first state with a functional Universal Health Coverage Coordination Center.
The State Coordinator of the National Health Insurance Authority, Stanley Effa, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that all civil and public servants have access to affordable, quality and timely healthcare services, while strengthening the welfare and productivity of the state workforce.
He further stated that the scheme would help reduce the financial burden associated with medical treatment and unexpected medical expenses, while providing access to healthcare through accredited healthcare providers under the scheme.
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