Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has approved the immediate release of the 2025 counterpart funds for key health interventions across the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem John, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Uyo during the Ministry of Health’s review of its 2025 activities and projections for the 2026 health sector.
According to him, the funds will support critical programmes including health insurance, primary healthcare, immunisation, family planning, and nutrition, in line with the ARISE Agenda of the present administration.
Dr. Ekem said the ministry focused in 2025 on strengthening health infrastructure, improving staff welfare, training personnel, and enhancing service delivery to achieve better health outcomes for residents.
Highlighting sectoral achievements, the commissioner noted significant progress in leprosy and tuberculosis control. He revealed that five portable X-ray machines were commissioned last year with support from the Global Fund to enhance TB diagnosis.
“If you look at the TB indices, Akwa Ibom is doing very well. All suspected TB patients in facilities where these machines are installed will have their X-rays done free of charge,” he said.
On HIV/AIDS, Dr. Ekem admitted that the state still faces challenges but noted improvements in reporting and data accuracy. He said about 168,000 persons living with HIV/AIDS have now been identified in the state, down from over 200,000 previously recorded.
He explained that the reduction followed an audit that eliminated double counting by patients who registered in multiple locations to access antiretroviral drugs.
“It is encouraging that about 99 per cent of those living with HIV now know their status. However, a major challenge remains those who are infected but are yet to be identified,” he added.
The commissioner also recalled that 10 major health policies were developed or reviewed during the year, some of which had not been updated in over 13 years. He cited the revision of the state’s Essential Medicines List, last reviewed in 2012, as a key milestone.
Looking ahead, Dr. Ekem said the ministry would implement strategies to boost internally generated revenue through the Treasury Single Account (TSA), in line with the governor’s directive.
“Residents must patronise government hospitals so that we can generate revenue to further strengthen the health system,” he said.
