Acting Executive Secretary of Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) Dr. Vetty Agala said the scheme has achieved a significant milestone, enrolling 40% of its targeted number of vulnerable persons into the programme.
She made the announcement while welcoming a team from the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) to the agency’s office.
Agala revealed that RIVCHPP has made substantial progress in providing affordable and accessible quality healthcare services to the people of Rivers State.
“The 40% enrolment milestone is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that those who need healthcare services most can access them,” Agala stated.
She noted that by the last quarter of the year, RIVCHPP plans to begin enrolling individuals from the informal sector and sensitizing various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government.
Agala said the expansion will increase their reach and impact, ensuring that more people have access to quality healthcare services.
The IHVN team, comprising Dr Sanda Danjuma, Dr. Anthony Okwuosah, and Bathnna Ayuba, met with Dr. Agala to discuss potential collaboration opportunities.
The team lead of IHVN Dr Danjuma said their visit aimed to sustain gains in reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence through the health insurance scheme.
Expressed willingness to work with RIVCHPP to provide quality healthcare services to Rivers people at almost no cost.
Responding, Dr. Agala reiterated RIVCHPP’s commitment to collaborating with IHVN.
She, however, requested IHVN’s technical assistance in training and retraining RIVCHPP staff in critical areas to ensure the programme’s sustainability.
She added that the collaboration between RIVCHPP and IHVN is expected to yield several benefits, including Increased access to healthcare services for vulnerable populations; Improved quality of healthcare services; Enhanced sustainability of the programme, and Reduced HIV/AIDS prevalence.
She said: “This partnership will enable us to build capacity and improve our services.
“We are willing and ready to collaborate with IHVN by adding to the number of chronically ill persons for treatment, particularly those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.”