The Enugu State House of Assembly has asked the executive arm of government to expunge from its policy framework, the requirement that tax clearance certificate should be presented by indigenes before they could access the state’s Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme.

The Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme were introduced in the state in 2007 to enable expectant mothers and children under the age of five to access free services from any of the state’s health facilities.

Moving a motion on notice, tagged Motion No. HM/05/15, on the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday, the member representing Isi-Uzo Constituency, Daniel Chukwuemeka Ogbuabor  (PDP) — supported by 12 others — submitted that the programme should be made completely free without any conditions such as the evidence of tax payment attached to it.

Ogbuabor, who is the House Committee Chairman on Health, argued that to attach a precondition would make the laudable programme a nullity and lamented that the pogramme was precondition.

He observed: “The greatest impediment of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme is the provision of tax payment as condition precedent to benefiting from the free healthcare programme.

“This requirement was introduced in 2011 as proof of residency in the state. The 2014 State Council on Health observed that introduction of this requirement made the free care programme to be progressively collapsing. Truly, in my constituency, the programme has collapsed.”

After a robust debate on the motion, the House urged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to abolish forthwith evidence of tax payment as condition precedent for benefiting from Enugu State Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme in all the state-owned health facilities.

“That this Honourable House do urge His Excellency, the Governor, to direct the Hon. Commissioner for Health to adopt forthwith alternative contrivance or combination of contrivances other than “evidence of tax payment” to establish residency status of clients seeking to benefit from Enugu State Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme,” they added.

Although the lawmakers canvassed payment of tax to augment the government revenue base, they posited that, as a programme meant for the poor and rich, no condition should be attached to it.

Objection to the motion by Chinedu Nwamba of Nsukka East (PDP) and Chuka Ene of Udi South (PDP) that payment of tax was important because of paucity of revenue accruing to the state did not sail through as his colleagues voted overwhelmingly in favour of the abolition.