Residents of Rivers State have been urged to champion awareness of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) to boost enrollment and improve access to affordable healthcare services.
The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, made the call during a sensitisation and enrollment meeting held at the palace of the Eze-elect of Oyigbo, Eze Samuel Azuh, in Oyigbo Town.
Represented by the Head of Planning, Dr. Juliet Aleme, Agala emphasized that increased awareness of the scheme would enable more residents to benefit from the programme, which is a key initiative of the Rivers State Government under Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
She explained that RIVCHPP is designed for all residents across the state’s 23 local government areas, providing access to quality healthcare services without financial hardship at the point of need.
Agala further encouraged residents of Oyigbo and the wider Rivers community to enroll in the scheme, noting that both federal and state governments have already covered premiums for vulnerable groups.
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In his response, the Eze-elect of Oyigbo, Eze Samuel Azuh (Eze Oha III), commended RIVCHPP and Pamo University for bringing the sensitisation and health outreach to the community. He assured that residents would take advantage of the initiative but appealed for an expansion of the vulnerable category to accommodate more citizens.
The traditional ruler also urged the agency to include treatment for eye-related ailments and surgeries in its coverage.
Earlier, the Head of Community Medicine at Pamo University, Iriebe, Dr. Chidinma Opara, disclosed that research conducted by 600-level medical students revealed low awareness of RIVCHPP programmes and poor utilisation of primary healthcare centres in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
She said the findings prompted the institution to collaborate with RIVCHPP to intensify awareness campaigns and improve access to the scheme, particularly for vulnerable populations.
As part of the collaboration, officials carried out a facility visit to the Pamo University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, to assess its readiness for service delivery. Both institutions have also commenced discussions on onboarding the hospital as a service provider for RIVCHPP enrollees.
