By: Felix Ikpotor
As part of activities to celebrate the 50th birthday of Governor Siminalayi Fubara billed for tommorow, January 28, 2025, the Rivers State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme, RIVCHPP, has announced that fifty persons will benefit from free surgical operations and other healthcare initiatives in all government accredited facilities in the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, who announced this at a media conference in Port Harcourt alongside the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr Vetty Agala, said the initiatives are designed to enhance access to quality healthcare, strengthen social equity and also reaffirms the governor’s Health For All Rivers Vision.
Oreh, listed the health packages to include; Sim Jara Health Scheme, Expanded Health Coverage For Vulnerable Populations and Mass Enrolment of Fifty Thousand Vulnerable Persons Across All 23 LGAs.
She explained that those to benefit from the surgery are enrollees on the Sim Jara Scheme offered by RIVCHPP beginning from today (Monday) to Friday of this week.
The health commissioner also announced special health packages for persons in state-run care homes, pensioners, pregnant women and persons in correctional centres.
She said: “The first fifty individuals who subscribes to the Sim Jara Health Plan and requires surgery would be eligible for free surgeries as part of this milestone celebrations. This initiative reflects our commitment to financial protection and access to life-saving surgical interventions for our people”.
“In honour of His Excellency’s birthday, the Rivers State Ministry of Health will fully enrol the following vulnerable groups into the RIVCHPP Equity Health Plan; children in state-run homes, residents of correctional centres and pensioners. This is to ensure comprehensive and free healthcare coverage for those who needs it most and removing financial barriers to essential medical services,” she added.
She said the RIVCHPP programme also aimed to enrol fifty thousand vulnerable persons on the scheme in conjunction with the 23 local government councils in the state to enable people at the grassroots access quality healthcare.
While calling on members of the public to take advantage of the initiatives to access quality healthcare services, she warned that no health personnel in the accredited facilities are expected to collect money from beneficiaries of the programmes to access care, threatening severe sanctions on any defaulter.
Oreh emphasized her ministry’s zero-tolerance for exploitation and compromise in service delivery.
The commissioner who commended some council chairmen in the state for keying into the initiative, urged citizens of the state to visit their local council secretariats, the offices of RIVCHPP or their online platforms to get enrolled.
Elaborating on the services offered by the initiative, the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr Vetty Agala, added that within this one week of the governor’s birthday celebration, beneficiaries can get up to fifteen free surgeries including pregnant women who requires cesarian sections.
She however added: “If you are under the Sim Jara Scheme or any of the informal sector schemes, it means that you will not pay for surgeries but you will pay a fifteen percent on your drugs and your medications and that’s to help them revolve those drugs”.
While acknowledging that the cost of care is currently very high, she stated; “We are interested in driving down maternal mortality, we don’t want our women dying, we don’t want our neonates dying, so ensure that you register with the scheme.”
