The Abia State Government has launched CyTracker, a digital application designed to identify and monitor high-risk pregnancies in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, announced this on Tuesday while briefing journalists after the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
Kanu said the health technology will help reduce maternal and child mortality by enabling health workers to track expectant mothers in real time.
He described the initiative as another practical demonstration of the administration’s commitment to using technology to improve healthcare outcomes.
According to him, Abia has emerged as the number one state in healthcare affordability and is currently among the top three states in healthcare quality in Nigeria.
He contended that the recognition, which is 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.
His word, “His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti’s transformation agenda, particularly in the health sector, continues to receive rave reviews across the country and beyond”.
He disclosed that Abia is the only state that achieved top three positions in 13 out of 16 indicators of good governance based on citizens’ perception, adding that the state’s strong performance in healthcare affordability and quality further demonstrates the impact of the administration’s reforms.
Announcing update on the functionalisation of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), he said that the first 50 functionalised PHCs accounted for more than 20 percent of the over over million outpatient department visits recorded across the state between July 2025 and June 2026.
Three additional PHCs had been functionalised between July 27 and August 10, bringing the total number of functionalised PHCs in the state to 151.
Speaking on the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme, Kanu revealed that enrollment into the scheme, has risen from 233,000 to 237,000 between July 27 and August 7, 2026.
The state recorded no disease of public health importance during the period under review, including Ebola, Lassa fever, COVID-19, diphtheria, cholera, mpox and yellow fever.
Kanu stated that the Abiriba Communal Improvement Union (ACIU), North America Chapter, has begun the sponsorship of 1,000 indigent persons under the state’s health insurance scheme.
He implored other communities, organisations and groups to emulate the initiative.
Speaking 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.
The new recruitment, he explained, would focus on medical officers, dental officers and consultants, including full-time and part-time consultants, adding that the application portal for opened on Monday night, August 10, 2026.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said that the CyTracker initiative was developed as part of comprehensive measures to tackle maternal and infant mortality in the Slstate.
He explained that the initiative is being focused 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 stated that the application collects key demographic and pregnancy information, including the woman’s age and last menstrual period, which enables health officials to determine expected delivery dates and monitor compliance with antenatal appointments.
According to him, pregnant women can receive reminders through the application, while responsible adults within their communities can also assist in ensuring that high risk pregnant women attend their scheduled antenatal appointments.
The system, the health commissioner, informed, had already helped health workers successfully monitor and facilitate the delivery of several teenage mothers at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, saying that the intervention also helps medical personnel respond promptly when complications arise.
He stressed the need for the 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.