In its quest to provide adequate health protection for the people, the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), urges health information officers and focal persons to focus on data collection and transmission, as it resumes free enrolment for pregnant women and vulnerable persons, while canvassing the dissemination of proper information to all residents
By Edu Abade
The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Agala has charged Health Information Officers (HIOs) and RIVCHPP’s focal persons to see their work of data collection and transmission as critical towards achieving the Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s mandate of #Health4AllRivers
Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, who gave the charge at a three-day training programme for HIOs and focal persons on BHCPF 2.0 data collection training in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, made it clear that it is the quality of data generated at the point of service that would influence health decisions and outcomes.
She urged the concerned officers to see themselves as important persons in the health value chain, urging them to always exhibit empathy in dealing with RIVCHPP’s enrollees, even as they display thoroughness in the collection and transmission of needed data.
In a goodwill message at the training, Head, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Seiyeofori Dede, who corroborated Dr. Agala’s view on the importance of data collection and transmission in expanding universal health coverage of the state, advised every health facility in the state to key into the training.
Dede admonished the participants at the training to prioritise the training as it remained crucial to expanding universal health coverage, which, he said, was in line with Governor Fubara’s mandate.
In his overview of the training, the Head, Statistics of RIVCHPP, Dr. Isaiah MacMoses, said the training is to keep the participants abreast of electronic data transmission straight from their facilities to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) platform.
MacMoses explained that the training is very critical in getting the right data transmitted as it helps in proper decision-making.
In another development, Agala also urged everyone living, working and doing business in Rivers State to always take good care of their health.
Agala, who made the call at the Ecumenical Centre on Abonnema Wharf road in Port Harcourt, during a one day prayer Congress Meeting of the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN), maintained that Governor Fubara does not want any resident of the state to suffer from healthcare related hardship.
In a statement endorsed by the Head, Information and Public Relations Unit of RIVCHPP, Idanye Oruigoni, she equally pointed out that it was in a bid to save residents of the state from financial hardship, when health related issues arise, that the governor empowered RIVCHPP, the state health insurance agency to become functional.
She, therefore, urged all residents across the state, no matter their religion, place of origin and creed to enroll into RIVCHPP’s programmes for quality healthcare services without passing through financial strain.
Agala also clarified that those who enroll into RIVCHPP’s programmes have access to primary and secondary care levels of quality healthcare services without undergoing financial strain when they have the need for healthcare services.
RIVCHPP also announced the resumption of free enrolment of pregnant women into its Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) at a three-day review meeting on improvement plans for delivery of quality health services in primary health centres in the state.
Dr. Agala disclosed that although the health insurance agency initially stopped the free enrolment of the vulnerable population, because it exhausted the quota originally given to the state, pregnant and other vulnerable population, which includes children below five years of age, the aged above 60 years, the chronically ill, people living with disabilities, can now be enrolled into the programme on the presentation of the mandatory national identification number (NIN).
She however, decried the apathy of some workers in attending to patients in their facilities, cautioning that RIVCHPP’s enrollees are very important persons who should be dealt with dignity and compassion.
She urged all heads of facilities in the various primary health centres across the state to make their facilities enrolment centres for those who qualify as the vulnerable into the BHCPF of RIVCHPP.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB), Dr. Adele Chituru, emphasised on the need for improved care to all patients that come to the various health facilities in order to provide effective service delivery to all Rivers residents.
Meanwhile, Dr. Agala also charged residents of the state to help spread the messages of the health insurance agency at their disposal to neighbours and other residents of the state.
The RIVCHPP boss, who was represented by the Head of Planning of RIVCHPP, Dr. Juliet Aleme made the call at the Palace of the Eze-elect of Oyigbo, Eze Samuel N Azuh in Oyigbo on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, during a sensitization and enrolment engagement meeting.
She said that by spreading the messages of the health insurance agency, more and more residents of the state would not only become aware of the laudable programme that Governor Fubara hold so dear for the good of the people of the state, but more persons would then enrol and benefit from the programme.
Dr. Agala stressed that RIVCHPP is a health insurance scheme for all residents of the 23 local government areas of the state to enroll into, so as to get quality healthcare services, where and when needed, without suffering financial hardship at the point of the healthcare needs.
She further enjoined all the people of Oyigbo, and the state at large, to enroll with RIVCHPP for seamless and quality healthcare service delivery, saying that the federal and state governments have paid for a section of the population that the government terms as vulnerable persons.
Responding, Eze Samuel N. Azuh, commended RIVCHPP and Pamo University for bringing the health outreach and sensitisation to Oyigbo people, while commending the state government for making the programme functional.
Azuh, who assured that Oyigbo people would embrace the opportunity to be part of the health insurance scheme, pleaded that the scope of the vulnerability be expanded to accommodate more persons.
Speaking, Head, Community Medicine at Pamo University, Iriebe, Dr. Chidinma Opara, said the institution’s 600 level medical students research findings revealed that there was low awareness of RIVCHPP programmes and poor utilisation of primary health centres in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
Opara then stated that realising how beneficial the programmes of RIVCHPP have been to Rivers people, especially the vulnerable, the institution decided to collaborate with RIVCHPP to create more awareness in the area, so that the people could benefit from RIVCHPP’s packages and programmes.
