The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), at the weekend, restated that there is a need for proper collaboration among all groups and organizations in providing similar healthcare services to Rivers State people.
Acting Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala Agala, made the clarification while addressing representatives of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) who visited her at her office in Port Harcourt.
Agala, who commended the SPDC for being interested in the health of Rivers people over the years, cited the Obio Cottage Hospital powered by SPDC as a model, especially in the provision of maternal and child healthcare leading to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality which is similar to the agency’s mandate.
She stressed that the agency is excited by not only the interest in partnership, but also the structures put in place by SPDC to make more people in the State, especially those domiciled in the Akuku Toru Local Government Area of the state, to enjoy robust healthcare services without paying out of their pockets.
The RIVCHPP Chief announced that over 1000 vulnerable persons have already been enrolled to be accessing health care at Abonnema Model Health Centre, imploring SPDC and its agents to liaise with relevant authorities to see how they could specifically improve human resources of the health facilities in their areas of interest and to partner in getting to what she described as ‘the hard to reach communities’ in the council areas.
Agala also cautioned against duplication of enrollees so that scarce resources would evenly be distributed to get more Rivers people to enjoy the packages of SPDC and the government, saying that the doors of the agency would remain open at all times for more collaboration.
She disclosed that the agency already has an active digitized system and redress platforms to enhance its mandate and performance.
Earlier, the Health Manager, Community Health of SPDC, Dr. Akinwumi Fajola, who was represented by a public health physician for Community Health of SPDC, Dr. Aloni Alali said the SPDC is a responsible organization that cares for communities in which it operates and that the organisation has supported the health system of the Niger Delta and the entire country in so many different ways.
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Fajola, who said the Obio Cottage Hospital is a flagship project powered by the SPDC that stakeholders are interested in having replicated in their various localities, said his organization is interested in providing a health insurance package for Rivers State people in the Akuku Toru axis.
“That is why they are in the agency to introduce their third party agent, Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS), a non-governmental organization to collaborate with the agency and to imbibe the successes of RIVCHPP in their operations,” he said.
In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer of ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo said the group was impressed with what is happening in the Rivers State health sector, adding that the ECEWS envisions seeing rural people going to hospitals for healthcare services because access has already been provided for them.
Eyo, who also used the opportunity to commend the SPDC and to express delight at the opportunity to partner with SPDC, promised to collaborate with the RIVCHPP, assuring that quality services is apt and results crucial to their agenda
The highlight of the visit was an interactive session by the different groups and presentation of souvenirs by the ECEWS.
