The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) is deepening its grassroots engagement as part of efforts to expand universal health coverage across the state, taking its sensitisation campaign to churches and community town-hall meetings.
At one of such outreaches, the Executive Secretary of the state health insurance agency, Dr. Vetty Agala, underscored the importance of health insurance as a buffer against the rising cost of medical care and the financial shocks that often accompany health emergencies.
She urged residents of Rivers State to enrol in the various RIVCHPP programmes and packages to secure access to affordable and quality healthcare.
Dr. Agala spoke while addressing the leadership and congregation of Life Forte Chapel, Port Harcourt, on Sunday, February 8, 2026, where he highlighted the benefits of enrolment, noting that healthcare costs have become increasingly astronomical. According to him, RIVCHPP enrollees can access services through accredited public and private health facilities in the state, supported by functional referral systems.
She further clarified that services offered under the scheme are comprehensive and can be accessed without additional out-of-pocket payments, encouraging beneficiaries to actively utilise healthcare services available to them under the programme.
The Executive Secretary acknowledged the backing of the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to the administration’s #Health4AllRivers agenda, aimed at ensuring that no resident is excluded from quality healthcare.
Dr. Agala also commended the leadership of Life Forte Chapel for partnering with RIVCHPP, announcing that the church had facilitated the enrolment of 125 of its members into the scheme.
In his remarks, the Lead Pastor of Life Forte Chapel, Dr. Tombari Gbeneol, described holistic wellbeing as a balance of spiritual, emotional and physical health, explaining that the church’s decision to gift some members health insurance was to protect them from avoidable health-related embarrassment.
In a related development, the Head of Marketing and Business Development at RIVCHPP, Mr. Kingsley Ngini, has called on communities, philanthropists and well-meaning individuals to partner with the agency by gifting health insurance policies to members of their families, associations and communities.
Mr. Ngini made the appeal during an engagement with members of the Ihiala Women’s Association, Port Harcourt chapter, where he also sensitised them on the benefits of the scheme, assuring them that RIVCHPP provides access to quality healthcare without financial hardship.
Responding, the President of the Association pledged that the group would enrol collectively, including their families, having been convinced of the long-term benefits of the programme.
The expanding outreach to faith-based organisations and community groups underscores RIVCHPP’s growing footprint and its strategy of driving health insurance awareness from the grassroots up, as the agency pushes towards broader health coverage in Rivers State.