Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Abia State Government has unveiled the Abia Electronic Health (E-Health) Project, a flagship initiative aimed at digitising the state’s healthcare system and migrating medical records from analogue to fully digital platforms.
The initiative, according to the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, received the approval of the State Executive Council.
Prince Kanu said the E-Health project aligns with the administration’s broader vision of building a comprehensive digital ecosystem to drive efficiency across governance in the state.
“The E-Health project is in line with the state government’s pioneering efforts to establish a digital ecosystem that will drive service delivery across all sectors of governance in Abia,” he said.
According to him, the project incorporates telemedicine and other technology-driven healthcare solutions designed to improve efficiency, expand access and enhance the quality of care.
He added that the initiative is being implemented in partnership with E-Health and Life-Health Hubs.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the state has received commendation from the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, led by Hon. Dr Amos Malaji, following an oversight visit to Abia.
He said the committee assessed reforms under Governor Alex Otti’s administration, particularly in primary healthcare and universal health coverage, and awarded the state an excellent rating.
Prince Kanu further announced the formal rollout of the measles and rubella vaccination campaign, conducted earlier on Tuesday by the Wife of the Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti.
He stressed that the campaign targets children aged nine months to 14 years and will be carried out at primary healthcare centres, schools and other health facilities across the state.
He also revealed that orientation and onboarding programmes have been conducted for newly recruited health workers to acquaint them with their roles and the governance structure of health agencies. He added that there is currently no reported outbreak of diseases of public health importance in the state.
Speaking further, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, described the E-Health project as a cornerstone of Governor Otti’s health sector reform agenda.
He said the initiative would deploy digital health solutions to expand access to care, improve service delivery and address manpower gaps, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Professor Uche explained that the system would eliminate inefficiencies associated with paper-based records, prevent the loss of patients’ information, reduce delays during follow-up visits and ensure seamless access to medical histories through secured digital archives.
“This approach guarantees uniform healthcare standards across the state while addressing the challenge of limited skilled manpower,” he said.
“With this system, I can monitor, in real time, activities in all primary healthcare centres, general hospitals and tertiary hospitals across the state from my office,” Professor Uche added.
