The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr. Vetty Agala, has announced that the agency will begin directing enrollees to access primary healthcare services not only at primary health centres, but also at general hospitals and accredited private providers across the state.
Dr. Agala made this known during a staff meeting held on Monday, in which she emphasized that the initiative is aimed at expanding access and ensuring that more Rivers residents benefit from seamless, affordable healthcare without the burden of out-of-pocket payment at the point of need.
“Our goal is to make primary healthcare services accessible, efficient, and available wherever our enrollees are. This expansion is necessary to ensure no one is left behind”, Dr. Agala stated.
Responding to challenges faced by some enrollees, Dr. Agala also directed the temporary suspension of monthly capitation payments to healthcare providers under the scheme where beneficiaries have consistently struggled to access services in the past two months.
She noted that despite a steady increase in the number of people seeking care under the scheme, many enrollees are not receiving the required services, either due to staff absenteeism or providers being unable to utilize the capitation funds allocated to their facilities.
“We’ve observed that many facilities have not accessed their capitation due to bureaucratic delays. As a result, service delivery is being hampered, and this is unacceptable”, she said.
Agala raised concerns about the lack of National Identification Numbers (NIN) among approximately 90% of beneficiaries enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), despite having accessed services for over a year.
She advised that all beneficiaries must obtain and submit their NIN before the end of September 2025 to avoid being removed from the programme.
“We cannot continue to provide services without proper identification of enrollees. All existing beneficiaries are urged to obtain their NINs to continue enjoying uninterrupted healthcare access”, she warned.
Agala assured that once the operational challenges are resolved, capitation payments will resume. Meanwhile, she said the agency is putting measures in place, including training healthcare providers in general and private hospitals to enhance service delivery and geographical access to care.
Reiterating RIVCHPP’s commitment to expanding universal health coverage in Rivers State, Dr. Agala urged agency staff to intensify efforts to register more residents, particularly those in the informal sector.
She said, “Currently, BHCPF enrollees represent just about 1% of Rivers State’s population. We must scale up our outreach to bring more people into the programme, especially through the RivCare informal sector package and other health insurance plans.”
Dr. Agala concluded by reaffirming RIVCHPP’s vision of a health system where every Rivers resident has access to quality, timely, and affordable healthcare, regardless of social or economic status.