The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme commits to environmentally sustainable projects while partnering with the Federal Ministry of Health and other agencies in strengthening healthcare access, universal health coverage and expanding opthalmic care to residents
By Edu Abade
The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) has pledged its readiness to support initiatives aimed at building a cleaner and environmentally sustainable Rivers State.
Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala made the pledge in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, as she received a team from Health, Environment and You (HEY), a non- governmental initiative.
According to Dr. Agala, the HEY projects of “A Cleaner Rivers Initiative,” and “Recovery of 100 million used water sachets” agree with the cardinal objective of RIVCHPP which is to see that Rivers residents remain healthy.
She said that part of the cause of the flooding being experienced in Port Harcourt is as a result of blocked drainages through the dumping of waste materials, including used water sachets, in the drains.
A statement made available to journalists by the Information and Public Relations Unit Officer of RIVCHPP, Idanye Oruigoni, revealed that Dr. Agala charged Rivers residents to stop the attitude of dropping used water sachets on roads and drainages. Rather, such should be collected and gathered into a single used sachet, which has to be properly disposed of at a waste receptacle.
She announced that the health insurance agency will give a free health insurance cover for one year to winners of the 100 million used water sachets collection project.
Earlier in his remarks, the team lead of HEY, Kelvin Onar, said his team is in the office of Dr. Vetty Agala to thank and appreciate her for all the support and encouragement to HEY over the years.
He said that the organisation is pleased to recognise Dr. Agala, as their ambassador, and the initiative used the occasion of the visit to present her with the recognition as ” HEY Ambassador for Environmental Sustainability and Public Health ”
The visit featured the presentation of the recognition award to Dr. Agala, while she endorsed the projects for a cleaner Rivers State.
The RIVCHPP also expressed its readiness to partner with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board ( RSPHCMB) in ensuring that Rivers residents, especially those in rural communities, have access to eye care services.
Agala expressed the readiness of the agency to drive the process on Wednesday, September 23, 2023, when a team from the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board led members of National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme ( NESHP) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on an advocacy visit to RIVCHPP.
Dr. Agala , who commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for coming up with the initiative of giving out free eye glasses to Nigerians who are 40 years and above with challenges that need eye glasses, saying that the provision of opthalmic services in 70 Primary Health Care centres across the state is a welcome development.
She stated that some rural beneficiaries of its programmes always find it difficult travelling to the urban centres for their eye care needs, saying that the training of healthcare personnel to cater to the eye care needs in the Primary Health centres will greatly improve the eye health of the people.
She also promised that the agency would send its officials to participate in the proposed health outreaches to enrol residents into its programmes.
Earlier of the lead of the visitors, Dr. Tonye Lawson-Jack, who is the Director of Medical Services of RSPHCMB, said that the team is in RIVCHPP to intimate the Executive Secretary of an ongoing training at the board towards providing primary opthalmic care in 70 selected primary health centres across the state.
Dr. Lawson-Jack said the visit was to make the agency aware of the available opthalmic services and so as to leverage on the opportunity to see that its beneficiaries with primary eye care cases are taken care of in the designated health centres.
Others in the team, including the NESPH team lead, Adedoyin Haastrup, talked about the ongoing opthalmic training in Rivers State, simultaneously holding in the 3 Senatorial Districts, the Presidential initiative of free eye glasses, and the various outreach programmes to engender more awareness in the state.
In a simillar vein, RIVCHPP also extended its collaboration to the Rivers State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Systems (REMSAS) are stepping up their collaborative efforts in seeing to it that residents of Rivers State in need of healthcare services have unfettered access to healthcare facilities seamlessly, even in emergency cases.
During a meeting of the agencies on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, both agencies brainstormed on how to work cooperatively and collaboratively towards the actualization of Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s vision of #Health4AllRivers.
The agencies commended the state government for making it possible for Rivers residents to have access to healthcare services with ease, no matter the part of the state they reside in, urging everyone to avail themselves of the opportunity.
It should be noted that these two health agencies play complementary roles in strengthening healthcare delivery and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Rivers State.
While RIVCHPP provides a social health insurance framework designed to protect residents from the financial burden of healthcare and facilitate access to quality, affordable healthcare services, REMSAS provides critical emergency medical response and ambulance services to individuals requiring urgent medical attention.
The relationship between both institutions reflects the broader objective of Rivers State Government to build a responsive, accessible and people-centred healthcare system where residents can receive timely care while being protected from financial hardship.
Talking with reporters at the end of the meeting, Dr. Agala, argued that through effective collaboration, coordination and referral pathways, RIVCHPP and REMSAS could contribute to ensuring that enrolled residents requiring emergency services are appropriately attended to, and connected to relevant healthcare facilities for further treatment, in line with applicable service arrangements and coverage provisions.
