Rivers State has embarked on extensive structural and transformational reforms within its health system, aiming for universal health coverage (UHC) across service delivery, governance, financing, and infrastructure. Governor Siminalayi Fubara is committed to ensuring that all residents receive healthcare without barriers related to cost, distance, or personal circumstances. This ambitious initiative was highlighted by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, during the recent commemoration of World UHC Day on December 12.

Central to the state’s UHC strategy is the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHIPP), described by Dr. Oreh as a pivotal pathway to achieving comprehensive health coverage. This health insurance scheme is now fully operational and actively providing essential protection to residents throughout Rivers State. It represents a significant step by Governor Fubara to demonstrate his commitment to accessible healthcare for all.

RIVCHIPP offers families access to a wide network of accredited healthcare facilities, delivering crucial services that include emergency and referral care, comprehensive maternal, newborn, and child health provisions, alongside preventive and promotive care. Critically, the programme also provides vital financial protection against the burden of catastrophic health expenses, ensuring that low-income earners and the state’s most vulnerable populations are not excluded from necessary medical attention.

The state government’s dedication to UHC extends beyond the health insurance scheme, encompassing a broad strategy to strengthen the entire health system. This involves significant upgrades to physical infrastructure across primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities statewide. Efforts are also focused on equipping these centres with essential diagnostics, modern technology, and functional medical equipment to enhance the quality of care provided.

A key component of this overhaul is the recruitment and strategic deployment of skilled health workers, ensuring that every community across Rivers State gains access to qualified health professionals. These critical interventions collectively aim to alleviate the financial strain on residents, elevate the overall standard of healthcare services, and accelerate the state’s progress towards achieving its universal health coverage objectives.

Dr. Oreh underscored that the attainment of universal health coverage is not solely a governmental responsibility, appealing directly to residents to enroll in the state’s health insurance programme. She emphasized that access to good health should be a fundamental right for every resident, rather than being contingent on their ability to pay. The commissioner lauded Governor Fubara’s leadership for its role in strengthening and repositioning the state’s health system.

Echoing these sentiments, Dr. Vetty Agala, Executive Secretary of RIVCHIPP, addressed an event in Port Harcourt marking UHC Day, themed “Unaffordable Health Care Cost: We are Sick of It.” Dr. Agala affirmed that the state’s insurance programme is a tangible reality, moving beyond mere conceptualisation. She articulated that UHC functions as the daily operating system for the state, not simply a mandate.

Dr. Agala further stressed that for universal health coverage to be truly effective, citizens must be shielded from “catastrophic health expenditure,” a significant barrier to healthcare access in many regions. She highlighted the necessity for citizens to be visible in government policy, actively covered in practice, and formally enrolled in the state’s UHC plan, which is RIVCHIPP.

Demonstrating the programme’s early impact, Dr. Agala revealed that approximately 140,000 individuals have already begun accessing care through RIVCHIPP since its launch in 2024. The scheme boasts an extensive network of healthcare providers, comprising both public and private facilities, with 210 centres strategically located across all 23 local government areas of the state, ensuring broad geographical reach and accessibility.

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