Author: Gist Correspondent

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr. Vetty Rolegherighan Agala, has emphasised the importance of accurate and timely data in driving effective decision-making within the health sector.

Dr. Agala made the remark while declaring open a two-day data validation meeting and training workshop for the fourth quarter of 2025, held on Wednesday, January 20, 2026, in Port Harcourt. She stressed that only complete, timely and high-quality data can support informed decisions and improved service delivery.

She explained that data validation is a quarterly exercise of the state health insurance agency, which also serves as a platform for retraining focal persons, expressing optimism that the process continues to improve with each passing quarter. According to her, consistent engagement enhances the capacity of team members and strengthens the agency’s operations.

Dr. Agala urged participants to be fully committed to the training, noting that improved knowledge in imputing verifiable data would foster sound decision-making and better outcomes for the programme.

While reiterating that RIVCHPP’s core mandate is to provide access to quality healthcare services for enrollees without exposing them to financial hardship, she explained that this is achieved through accredited healthcare providers under the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board and the Hospitals Management Board.

The RIVCHPP boss, however, expressed concern that some enrollees—particularly pregnant women—still patronise traditional birth attendants and churches for childbirth, despite having access to free healthcare services under the scheme. She said such practices raise questions about health-seeking behaviour and underscore the need for continuous data interrogation and community sensitisation.

She disclosed that the validation meeting would examine reasons why some enrollees still deliver outside health facilities, strengthen the agency’s referral system, address issues relating to the National Identification Number (NIN), and review other benefit packages under the health insurance scheme.

Dr. Agala further noted that achieving expanded universal health coverage in Rivers State would require the agency to go beyond the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which targets a limited segment of the population, and place greater emphasis on other insurance packages capable of enrolling more residents.

Earlier, the facilitator of the workshop and Team Lead for Monitoring and Evaluation at RIVCHPP, Dr. MacMoses Isaiah, urged participants—particularly focal persons from the 23 local government areas—to actively engage in the training to improve their performance. Dr. Isaiah, who also heads the Statistics Unit of the agency, disclosed that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has approved new approaches to data collection and computation for state health insurance agencies.

Also speaking, the Head of Quality Assurance at RIVCHPP, Pharm. Bona Jonas Vopnu, charged staff to be meticulous in handling data, stressing that the credibility and effectiveness of any organisation depend largely on the quality of its data.

The participatory training attracted representatives from the Rivers State Hospitals Management Board and the Primary Health Care Management Board, among other stakeholders.