‘RIVCHPP, Ahead Of Time In Mandate Fulfillment’

The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Nwachukwu, has described the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) as an agency that is always ahead of its time in fulfilling its mandate.

He made the assertion yesterday, while speaking 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.

Dr. Nwachukwu, who described the workshop as timely and important, commended the Executive Secretary and management of RIVCHPP for their commitment and the manner in which they have carried out their responsibilities.

He, however, noted that many Rivers residents were yet to be reached by the programme, and charged participants to develop practical plans and programmes that would facilitate the enrolment of more residents and enable them to access quality healthcare while minimising out-of-pocket expenditure.

Nwachukwu, who welcomed participants to the workshop on behalf of the Ministry of Health and the Rivers State Government, expressed optimism that the outcome of the exercise would produce a strategic document worthy of commendation.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the Chairman of the RIVCHPP Board, Prof. Chike Princewill, represented by the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, said health insurance was not merely a policy but a promise to residents.

According to him, the essence of health insurance is to ensure that Rivers residents do not have to choose between financial hardship and access to quality and affordable healthcare when the need arises.

Dr. Agala said RIVCHPP had recorded significant progress over the past two years in enrolment, provider engagement and claims management.

He, however, stressed that achieving universal health coverage would require deliberate, data-driven processes aligned with the agency’s mission and vision.

According to him, the workshop was designed to interrogate the agency’s data, review lessons learned from previous years, benchmark best practices and agree on bold but achievable priorities for the next five years.

The Executive Secretary urged participants to engage in the exercise with openness and candour, encouraging robust debate and constructive collaboration, while also expressing confidence that the strategic plan to be developed would provide a clear framework to guide RIVCHPP’s budgeting, programming and partnerships over the next five years.

Dr. Agala also used the occasion to appreciate the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for his unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of the people, and thanked the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, for providing policy direction, as well as development partners, particularly the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), for their technical support.

In a goodwill message, the Eze Gbakagbaka of Evo Kingdom, Eze Leslie Eke, acknowledged the challenges confronting the operations of RIVCHPP and called for greater support for the agency from relevant stakeholders.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Uzoma Ibinye, represented by the Director of Budget, Dr. Igochukwu Wali, commended RIVCHPP for organising the strategic planning workshop.

She stressed the importance of attaching clear financial figures to the strategic priorities to be developed, noting that this would facilitate effective budgeting and implementation.

The workshop, sponsored by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), is being attended by representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), academia, non-governmental organisations, Renaissance Energy Ltd., 10xbeta, healthcare providers, development partners and other stakeholders.

• Oruigoni is the Information/Public Relations Officer, RIVCHPP.