Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has called on the managers of the state’s Contributory Health Insurance Scheme to be unbiased while administering the scheme so that the most vulnerable in the society are not deprived from accessing critical healthcare services.
He said the scheme would offer households a measure of financial protection against healthcare costs and help resolve inequality in the provision of available services.
Fubara spoke yesterday at Ndoni community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, during the formal launching of the public sector Contributory Health Insurance Programme (CHIPP).
The governor, who became the first to be enrolled on the scheme and followed by his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, said the scheme must foster an inclusive and equitable healthcare access for the people of the state.
He said, “With what I am seeing here, we didn’t make any mistake in ensuring that the Health Insurance Programme commenced in our state. It is to increase access to healthcare for the people.
“With this, most families that cannot afford expensive healthcare services outside their means, can leverage on this service that has been rolled out.
“But it is proper for me to also add that while we are doing this, we shouldn’t undermine the scheme. The services should be properly utilised and the funds released should be applied prudently to achieve the purpose.”
On her part, the acting executive secretary of the Rivers State Contributory Health Insurance Protection Programme, Dr Vetty Agala, said the scheme will enhance chances of achieving universal access to healthcare services in the state.
Agala explained that with the official flag-off done, her team will embark on enrollment of persons into the scheme in all 317 political wards of the 23 local government areas of the state.
She said, “Today, we are here to flag-off the enrollment of the scheme. Your Excellency, we want to thank you for graciously permitting and approving that Rivers State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme be implemented.
“Rivers people can now, indeed, access healthcare without having to pay at the point of service. At all of our programmes, women, people living with disability, the aged and children under five years can walk into this centre or where they are registered, show their cards and be attended to free of charge.”
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme Bill was signed into law on June 21, 2021, but was never implemented until Governor Fubara reactivated the programme to enable residents and people of the state who want health insurance to participate in the scheme.