Title: RIVCHPP Enrols Over 1,500 Persons Living With HIV/AIDS, Seeks Sustainable Funding For Health Interventions Date Published: 25 February 2026 Description: The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) has enrolled more than 1,500 persons living with HIV/AIDS into its health insurance scheme as part of efforts to expand access to specialised and quality healthcare services across Rivers State.The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Agala, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ advocacy meeting in Port Harcourt, where she also called for stronger domestic funding mechanisms to sustain critical health interventions amid declining donor support.Dr. Agala urged the Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria (IHVN) to identify and strengthen facilities across the state’s 23 local government areas to ensure persons living with HIV receive the specialised care they require under the health insurance programme.She stressed that sustaining gains recorded in HIV, malaria and tuberculosis interventions would depend largely on multi-level advocacy and the integration of such programmes into Annual Operational Plans (AOPs) of government for budgetary support.According to her, the gradual withdrawal of funding by the United States Government and other international donors makes it imperative for state-level ownership and innovative financing to prevent service disruptions and worsening health outcomes.Dr. Agala reaffirmed the commitment of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration to the “Health for All Rivers” vision, noting that health insurance coverage remains a central pillar in achieving universal health coverage in the state.Earlier, Global Fund team lead, Dr. Chukwura Anyaike, said the advocacy visit was aimed at exploring ways to ensure continuity of health interventions through state budgets, health insurance coverage and other domestic resource mobilisation options.He said the partners were particularly interested in sustaining programmes that have delivered measurable benefits to residents over the years, despite shrinking donor resources.Representatives of the State AIDS/STI Control Programme (SASCP), IHVN, Association of Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) and the Global Fund attended the meeting.In a related development, Dr. Agala also charged RIVCHPP staff and team members to be pragmatic and strategic in delivering on the agency’s mandate during its 2026 annual planning meeting.She urged them to prioritise enrollee access to quality healthcare services and to intensify efforts at expanding coverage, with a target of enrolling at least one million lives into the scheme in 2026.Dr. Agala outlined five strategic objectives to guide operations—expanding coverage, improving service delivery, strengthening organisational capacity, enhancing stakeholder engagement and boosting visibility—while commending the Rivers State Government, the RIVCHPP board and staff for their support and dedication. Attached Images: 5bea65c727b430279c24dfbe92e66c48a564fb1d1a56df2257bdfc886552eae0.jpg Attached Video: None