The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) has enrolled more than 160,000 residents in its health insurance scheme, as the state government intensifies efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare.
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr Vetty Agala, disclosed this during an interview with Rapid FM and Insight Media News.
Agala said the agency places Rivers residents at the centre of its operations, adding that the health insurance programme had helped many households avoid financial hardship caused by medical expenses.
She explained that RIVCHPP was established by law to provide affordable healthcare coverage for residents across the state.
According to her, the programme currently has 145,000 active enrollees, while 111,000 beneficiaries are covered through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) gateway of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
She added that, apart from funding its counterpart contributions for BHCPF beneficiaries, the Rivers State Government had recently made equity contributions to cover an additional 46,000 people.
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Agala said the development reflected the state government’s commitment to healthcare delivery under the #Health4AllRivers mandate of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. She noted that the initiative covers different aspects of healthcare, including social health insurance.
However, the RIVCHPP chief executive acknowledged that many residents were yet to enrol in the scheme, despite the government’s provision for vulnerable groups.
She said the agency had therefore intensified public awareness and sensitisation campaigns to encourage more people to register and benefit from affordable health insurance in Rivers State.
Agala also disclosed that RIVCHPP was developing a five-year strategic plan, which would be unveiled during the 2026 Universal Health Coverage Day celebrations scheduled for December.
On service delivery, she said the agency had fully digitalised its operations and established a 24-hour call centre to improve communication with enrollees.
She added that RIVCHPP was working towards introducing toll-free telephone lines and had provided flexible premium payment options to make enrolment easier for residents.
Agala identified access to affordable and quality healthcare as the major benefit of the state health insurance programme, stressing that eligible enrollees could access medical services without facing the full financial burden of treatment.
She said her goal was to leave a legacy of a functional health insurance system where every Rivers resident could access affordable healthcare whenever needed.
At the end of the interview, Insight Media News presented Agala with an Award of Excellence in recognition of her work.
