RismadarVoice Reporters, August 27, 2026
The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, has described the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) as an agency that remains proactive in fulfilling its mandate and responding to emerging healthcare needs.
Wachukwu made the remarks during the opening of a two-day strategic planning co-creation workshop for the development of RIVCHPP’s five-year strategic plan in Port Harcourt.
He described the workshop as timely and important, noting that it would provide an opportunity to chart a clear direction for the agency over the next five years.
The Permanent Secretary commended the Executive Secretary and management of RIVCHPP for their efforts in implementing the programme.
However, he noted that many Rivers residents were yet to be enrolled in the scheme.
Wachukwu urged participants at the workshop to develop practical plans and programmes that would enable more residents to enrol in the health protection programme and access quality healthcare while minimising out-of-pocket expenses.
Earlier, the Chairman of the RIVCHPP Board, Prof. Princewill Chike, represented by the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr Vetty Agala, said health insurance was more than a policy, describing it as a commitment to ensuring that residents could access quality and affordable healthcare services when needed.
Agala said the workshop was designed to interrogate the agency’s data, review lessons from previous years, benchmark best practices and agree on bold but achievable priorities for the next five years.
According to him, the strategic plan to be developed at the end of the workshop would serve as a guide for the agency’s budgeting, programming and partnerships over the next five years.
He expressed optimism that the outcome of the workshop would strengthen the programme and improve access to affordable healthcare services for residents across Rivers State.
