The Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr Vicky Agala, has emphasised that health insurance takes away catastrophic health expenditure when and where healthcare services are needed. She, therefore, urged Rivers residents to embrace and register with RIVCHPP, which is the state health insurance agency, to give them the opportunity to access quality healthcare services without paying from their pockets.
Dr. Agala made the disclosure at a town hall sensitisation/feedback and enrolment meeting for RIVCHPP’s enrollees in Oghale-Eleme in Eleme Local Government Area of the state.
The RIVCHPP Executive Secretary, who said that RIVCHPP has enrollees in all the 23 local government areas of the state, however, decried the apathy of the people in accessing healthcare at the facilities. She said that it was the outcome of the data showing poor utilisation of the programme that necessitated the town hall meeting to get feedback.
Dr. Agala specifically mentioned that the utilisation of healthcare for Eleme Local Government Area was disappointing and appealed to the people of the area to register in order to enjoy robust health care services.
Welcoming stakeholders to the town hall meeting, the Administrator of Eleme Local Government Area, Dr. Gloria Obo Dibiah encouraged the people of the area to wholeheartedly accept RIVCHPP’s programme because of the benefits that will help them live healthier, promising to partner RIVCHPP to enrol 2000 Eleme citizens and residents into the health insurance scheme.
Speaking at the event, the state representative of Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Dr. Simene Sangha said that beyond the services by RIVCHPP, his body wants to work closely with enrollees of RIVCHPP to identify barriers to services, as to proffer solutions, not only them but also on how to improve on the utilisation of the services.
In an address at the meeting, the Senior Special Assistant on Health to the Administrator of Rivers State, Prof. Chituru G. Orlunwene admonished people of the State to take their health needs seriously, saying that healthcare is expensive, but that if they embrace and register with RIVCHPP, they can have access to quality healthcare services without paying from their pockets at the point of accessing healthcare.
Expressing their gratitude to the state government for making RIVCHPP functional in the state, some beneficiaries of RIVCHPP thanked the government for saving them money and stress and at the same time making it possible for them and their children below five years to enjoy free, but quality healthcare services.
