NEWS
Abia Emerges Among Nigeria’s Best in Maternal and Infant Health as Healthcare Reforms Deliver Outstanding Results
Abia State has recorded another 
major milestone in the health sector, emerging as one of Nigeria’s best-performing states in maternal and infant mortality indicators, following sustained investments by Governor Dr. Alex Otti’s administration in healthcare infrastructure, digital health, and primary healthcare delivery.
The achievement is contained in the recently released First Quarter Performance Dialogue, a flagship accountability and management programme of the Federal Ministry of Health that brings together federal health authorities, commissioners for health from the 36 states, and development partners to review sector performance, monitor key health indicators, and strengthen healthcare delivery across the country.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, announced the development on Monday, July 13, 2026, while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting chaired by State Governor, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR.
Speaking on the state’s remarkable performance, Prince Kanu attributed the success to the administration’s deliberate and sustained investments in healthcare.
According to him, “The remarkable improvement in our maternal and infant mortality profiles is a direct outcome of the huge investments made by the administration of Governor Alex Otti in the health sector of the state particularly through the renovation, retrofitting and functionalization of 200 primary healthcare centres across the state under the first phase of Project Ekwueme in addition to the 77 Impact World Bank sponsored PHCs.“
He further disclosed that, as of today, 139 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) have been fully functionalized across the state, while 50 additional PHCs are currently being equipped. He added that 12 more PHCs will be fully functionalized within the next two weeks, further expanding access to quality healthcare services for residents across Abia.
Prince Kanu also highlighted the impressive progress being recorded under the state’s Digital Health Project, noting that the initiative has significantly increased public confidence in government-owned health facilities. He revealed that over 9,136 patients have been onboarded across nine hospitals within the last three months alone.
He added that the state’s health insurance programme has witnessed unprecedented growth, with enrollment increasing from 40,000 beneficiaries in December 2024 to 225,581 beneficiaries as of July 2026, describing the development as clear evidence that residents are embracing the government’s healthcare reforms.
The Information Commissioner further announced that rehabilitation works at the Obingwa General Hospital have reached an advanced stage. He explained that several sections of the hospital have already been completed, while new buildings have been added to the facility.
According to him, the hospital is currently being equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including Digital Health and Telehealth facilities, ahead of its official commissioning.
Prince Kanu also disclosed that Abia State is spearheading a collaborative initiative involving Anambra, Delta, and Akwa Ibom States to domesticate a digital immunisation tracking system that integrates children’s vaccination records with other social data to improve healthcare planning, disease surveillance, and preventive healthcare delivery.
As part of the Ministry of Health’s weekly public health advisory, the Commissioner urged residents to maintain proper food hygiene and safety practices to prevent foodborne diseases.
He stressed that “Citizens are advised to adopt food hygiene and safety practices to prevent contamination of food and drinking water by disease causing germs“
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, explained that Abia’s outstanding performance was independently verified through the Federal Ministry of Health’s national reporting system, affirming the credibility of the state’s achievements.
According to him, “they (the results) clearly show that Governor Alex Otti’s visionary and transformative investments in healthcare are producing measurable results.
“Also, in neonatal mortality, there was also a decline from nine to seven. And why is this so? It’s because health is such that once you make the right investments, you get the right results.“
Prof. Uche noted that beyond improvements in maternal and neonatal health, Abia is making remarkable progress in protecting the health of children through a digitised immunisation registry being championed by four states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Anambra.
Explaining the innovation, he said:
“And the vaccine profile of our children is now digitised so that anywhere they go with that number, you can call up the vaccine records.
“So that when a child goes to school to go and register, with that code you will know whether that child is fully vaccinated or not.“
He added that:
“We’ve even gone a bit further to ensure that this record is linked with the geospatial mapping of the states.“
The Health Commissioner also used the opportunity to call on residents to observe strict food safety practices to reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses across the state.
According to him:
“Every week now, we focus on a particular area of public health interest. And this week is on food poisoning.
“Food poisoning is a foodborne illness that is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated by germs.“
He explained that “Common symptoms include stomach upset, diarrhea, which is usually watering, vomiting, fever, malaria.“
Prof. Uche urged residents to embrace preventive measures, stressing that:
“So how do you prevent it? One is to ensure that food hygiene practices and food safety practices are encouraged and practiced by everyone“
The latest national recognition further underscores the growing impact of Governor Alex Otti’s healthcare transformation agenda, with sustained investments in primary healthcare infrastructure, digital health, health insurance coverage, hospital rehabilitation, and child immunisation positioning Abia as one of Nigeria’s leading states in healthcare delivery and public health outcomes.