The Executive Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer of Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr. Vetty Agala has stated that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) gateway forum meetings are critical in improving healthcare services for enrollees.
Dr. Agala made the statement in her remarks to open the 2026 first quarter BHCPF gateway forum meeting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, 31st March, 2026.
The Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP clarified that the meeting affords the different gateways the opportunity to honestly interrogate what services they are rendering to the people, identifying gaps that are still there, and proffering workable solutions to bring about improved healthcare delivery to the people of the state.
Dr. Agala then announced that the state health insurance agency, RIVCHPP, is working out modalities to begin facility level BHCPF phase 2 enrolment with NIN updated for most enrollees to improve coverage.
In a goodwill message at the meeting, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Dede Seiyeofori, who represented the ES RSPHCMB, urged participants to be open in sharing their experiences and expertise, reiterating that by so doing, gaps can be identified, and possible solutions proffered.
Speaking at the sidelines of the meeting, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Julliene Darlington- Nwoke, informed that the BHCPF gateway meetings have continued to improve with each quarter, describing the meeting as an avenue for honestly interrogating what the various gateways are doing to improve health care delivery to especially the vulnerable population.
Dr. Darlington-Nwoke commended RIVCHPP for continuing to expand the healthcare system through its oversight on services provided at the various various primary health centres across the state.
On his part, the state epidemiologist and head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control gateway in Rivers State, Dr. Victor L. Abiikor, who said the meeting as a success, said that it affords the different gateways that are funded through the BHCPF to assess their performance and to seek ways for improvement in areas where gaps are identified.
Dr. Abiikor clarified that the meeting is important to the welfare of the people of the state because it is through the gateways that residents get healthcare services funded by BHCPF, where they do not pay for health services provided for them.
On his part, the Chairman, Medical Officers of Health (MOH) in Rivers State, Dr. Remmyson Keke, who appreciated the gateways for the quarterly meetings, said that the reviews at these meetings help to strengthen the primary health care services as it helps to push MOHs to increase supervision and to work towards closing whatever gaps that may have been identified.
The meeting had in attendance representatives from the four gateways of impact, REMSAS, RSPHCMB, NCDC, and RIVCHPP.
Also present were were representatives of partners like National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), World Health Organisation (WHO), Corona Management System, Rivers State Health Management Board, and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), among others.
