Health experts and key stakeholders in the health sector have commended the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) for its efforts in expanding universal health coverage across the state. The agency was scored highly during an organisational capacity assessment validation and dissemination workshop held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The event, facilitated by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) through a grant from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), assessed RIVCHPP’s performance one year after its establishment. In her welcome address, the Acting Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, said the assessment provided valuable insights into the agency’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
She noted that the findings would form the basis for developing a strategic work plan to enhance the agency’s capacity and achieve its mandate. Dr. Agala expressed appreciation to all contributors to the assessment and urged participants to engage honestly and actively in the discussions, with the goal of producing a robust, validated document that would improve the agency’s operations.
Also Read: Rivers NYSC Health Initiative Excites Rural Dwellers In Etche
Declaring the workshop open, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Comfort Mekele Igwe, praised RIVCHPP for its commitment to expanding healthcare coverage. She encouraged the agency to intensify efforts to raise public awareness of its initiatives, so that more residents can benefit from its services.
In a goodwill message, the Rivers State Coordinator of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Chris Itodo, lauded RIVCHPP for what he described as “uncommon commitment” to expanding healthcare access. He noted that the agency had outperformed several older state health insurance schemes in both drive and service delivery.
Other stakeholders who delivered goodwill messages including the Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board, Professor Kinikanwo Green; the Programme Lead for CHAI in Rivers State, Dr. Simene Sangha; and Dr. Blessing Unamba, also of CHAI—echoed similar praises. They all scored RIVCHPP highly for its achievements within its first year and expressed optimism about its future, urging the agency to develop a strategic plan to sustain and improve its performance.
