Asaba: The Delta State Government has described as false reports making the rounds in the media, particularly the social media, accusing the government of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of stopping the free Maternal and Under-Child care programmes in state-owned hospitals initiated by the past administration. 
A statement from the Ministry of Information clarified that the government at no time stopped the free Maternal and Under-Five programme in Delta State, noting that the said programmes were still in place and ongoing in the Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
According to the statement, Governor Okowa had not only continued the free programmes under his administration, but had also made it sustainable to last beyond his administration through the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
The statement explained that the Governor had since signed into Law where 0.5% of the State Consolidated revenue should be used to pay for the healthcare service of all pregnant women, children under five years, the elderly over 65 years and the physically and mentally challenged residents of Delta State, saying that the same affected pregnant women and children of 0 -5 years.
The statement signed by the Media Assistant to the Commissioner for Information, Mr Sam Ijeh, reaffirmed that the free cesarean section aspect of the Free Maternal programme was still on and had been extended to the Primary Healthcare facilities.
It recalled that under the previous administrations, the programmes were restricted to the General Hospitals, saying they were far away from most rural communities, and stressed that under the Governor Okowa administration, the programmes had been extended to the Primary Healthcare Centres, stating it had made the programmes more accessible to those in the villages and other rural communities.
The statement disclosed that over 60,000 pregnant women and children under-five years were currently receiving free treatment in several accredited hospitals across Delta State.
