The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, has described the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) as a forward-looking agency committed to fulfilling its mandate and improving access to healthcare for residents.
Wachukwu spoke on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the opening of a two-day strategic planning co-creation workshop for the development of RIVCHPP’s five-year strategic plan in Port Harcourt.
He described the workshop as timely and important, commending the Executive Secretary and management of RIVCHPP for their efforts in implementing the programme.
The Permanent Secretary, however, noted that a significant number of Rivers residents remained outside the scheme and urged participants to develop practical strategies and programmes capable of expanding enrolment and enabling more residents to access quality healthcare with minimal out-of-pocket expenditure.
Wachukwu, who welcomed participants on behalf of the Ministry of Health and the Rivers State Government, expressed optimism that the outcome of the workshop would produce a strategic document that would positively impact the programme.
Earlier, the Chairman of the RIVCHPP Board, Prof. Chike Princewill, represented by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the programme, Dr Vetty Agala, said health insurance should be viewed not merely as a policy but as a commitment to ensuring that residents can access quality and affordable healthcare when needed.
Agala said RIVCHPP had recorded progress over the past two years in enrolment, engagement with healthcare providers and claims management.
She, however, stressed that achieving universal health coverage would require deliberate and data-driven processes aligned with the agency’s mission and vision.
According to her, the workshop was designed to examine the agency’s data, review lessons from previous years, benchmark best practices and establish bold but achievable priorities for the next five years.
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Agala urged participants to engage openly and candidly, encouraging robust discussions and constructive debate that would contribute to the development of an effective strategic plan.
She said the document expected from the workshop would serve as a guide for RIVCHPP’s budgeting, programmes and partnerships over the next five years.
The Executive Secretary also expressed appreciation to the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, for his commitment to the health and wellbeing of residents, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health for providing policy direction.
She also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, particularly the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), for their technical support to the programme.
In a goodwill message, the Eze Gbakagbaka of Evo Kingdom, Eze Leslie Eke, acknowledged challenges affecting the operations of RIVCHPP and called for broader support for the agency to enable it to achieve its objectives.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Uzoma Ibinye, represented by the ministry’s Director of Budget, Dr Igochukwu Wali, commended RIVCHPP for organising the workshop.
Wali said the ministry was particularly interested in ensuring that the strategic plan contained clearly defined and costed targets, stressing that attaching figures to the proposed plans would provide a basis for proper budgeting and implementation.
The two-day workshop, sponsored by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), is being attended by representatives of relevant ministries, departments and agencies, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), academia, non-governmental organisations, Renaissance Energy Ltd., 10xBeta, healthcare providers, development partners and other stakeholders.
The workshop is expected to produce a five-year strategic framework to guide RIVCHPP’s efforts towards expanding enrolment and advancing universal health coverage in Rivers State.
