NEWS
Abia Pilots Digital App FOR Tracking High Risk Pregnancies
Abia State Government, through the Ministry of Health, has piloted Cytrack, a locally developed digital application designed to identify and monitor high-risk pregnancies across the State.
Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu disclosed this while briefing newsmen after this week’s State executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
The initiative is particularly targeted at teenage pregnancies, women without supervised antenatal care and expectant mothers who may be at risk of delivering without skilled birth attendants.
Kanu said Cytrack captures important demographic and pregnancy information, such as age and last menstrual period, enabling health officials to determine expected delivery dates, monitor antenatal appointments and follow up with pregnant women throughout pregnancy and delivery.
He added that the technology has already been successfully used by health workers to monitor several teenage pregnancies and facilitate safe deliveries at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.
The Commissioner described the initiative as a practical demonstration of the present administration’s determination to deploy technology in solving real healthcare challenges and reducing maternal and infant mortality.
The Commissioner disclosed that Abia state has emerged as the number one in healthcare affordability and among the top three states in healthcare quality in Nigeria.
He said that the recognition, contained in a recent assessment by Philips Consulting SPI, represents an independent validation of the administration’s efforts to reposition the state’s health sector and improve access to quality healthcare for residents.
Prince Kanu noted that Abia was the only state that achieved top three positions in 13 out of 16 indicators of good governance based on citizens’ perception.
According to him, the state’s strong performance in healthcare affordability and quality further demonstrates the impact of the administration’s reforms.
The Commissioner disclosed that enrolment in the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme had risen from 233,000 to 237,000 between July 27 and August 7, 2026.
He informed that the Abiriba Community Improvement Union, North America Chapter, had committed to sponsoring 1,000 indigent persons under the state’s health insurance scheme, calling on other communities, organisations and groups to emulate the initiative.
On human resources for the health sector, the Commissioner announced that the Abia State Civil Service Commission would commence another round of recruitment of healthcare professionals, following the employment of 742 medical personnel by the administration so far.
He explained that the new recruitment would focus on medical officers, dental officers and consultants, including full-time and part-time consultants, adding that the application portal for opens on Monday night (10/08/2026).
Providing more clarification, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, explained that the Cytrack initiative was developed as part of comprehensive measures to tackle maternal and infant mortality in the State.
He said the initiative focuses particularly on identifying women who are at higher risk of complications, including teenage mothers, women without supervised antenatal care and expectant mothers who may deliver without the assistance of skilled birth attendants.
He stressed the need for pregnant women in Abia to take advantage of the state’s health insurance programme, noting that registered pregnant women are entitled to free maternal healthcare and delivery services, including caesarean section, under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
“No pregnant woman should stay away from registering for health insurance. Once you do that, it makes life easy for everyone,” Prof. Uche said.
He explained that CyTracker was developed locally to address the peculiar healthcare needs of Abia State, describing it as an “Abia-born” innovation designed around the realities of communities in the State.
Prof. Uche said that the technology complements the government’s investments in healthcare infrastructure, personnel and health insurance by ensuring that high-risk pregnancies are identified early and followed up before complications become life threatening.
The latest developments, he noted, reinforce the Otti administration’s broader commitment to making healthcare more accessible, affordable, technology-driven and responsive to the needs of Abia residents.