Rivers Govt. Offers Fifty Free Surgeries To Mark Fubara’s Birthday
Barikui Felix, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme, RIVCHPP, has announced that fifty people will benefit from free surgical operations and other healthcare initiatives in all government-accredited facilities in the state beginning this week, Monday through Friday.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, announced this at a media conference in Port Harcourt alongside the Executive Secretary of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala. The initiative is the ministry’s way of celebrating Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who turns 50 on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025.
She also said the health initiatives are designed to enhance access to quality healthcare, strengthen social equity, and reaffirm the governor’s Health For All Rivers Vision.
Oreh listed the health packages to include the 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 who will benefit from the surgery are enrollees in the Sim Jara Scheme offered by RIVCHPP from today (Monday) to Friday of this week.
The health commissioner also announced special health packages for residents of state-run care homes, pensioners, pregnant women, and people in correctional centers.
She said, “The first fifty individuals who subscribe to the Sim Jara Health Plan and require surgery will be eligible for free surgeries as part of this milestone celebration. This initiative reflects our commitment to financial protection and access to life-saving surgical interventions for our people.”
“In honor of His Excellency’s birthday, the Rivers State Ministry of Health will fully enroll the following vulnerable groups into the RIVCHPP Equity Health Plan: children in state-run homes, residents of correctional centers, and pensioners. This is to ensure comprehensive and free healthcare coverage for those who need it most and remove financial barriers to essential medical services,” she added.
She said the RIVCHPP programme also aimed to enroll fifty thousand vulnerable persons in the scheme in conjunction with the 23 local government councils in the state to enable people at the grassroots to access quality healthcare.
While calling on public members 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 commended some council chairmen in the state for keying into the initiative and urged citizens to visit their local council secretariats, the offices of RIVCHPP, or their online platforms to enroll.
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 could get up to fifteen free surgeries, including pregnant women who require 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 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.”
