Rivers  inaugurates Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Implementation Committee

Rivers State Government has inaugurated a Steering Committee for Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Implementation in a bid to further improve healthcare delivery in the state.

Speaking during the inauguration at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Governor Nyesom Wike, who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, said the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund would pay a benefits package of health services, which comprise prenatal, delivery and post-natal care.

Wike said the fund would cover family planning services for all mothers in the rural communities and also the cost of high-impact child health interventions.

He disclosed that affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare is a right of the Rivers people and not a privilege, insisting that it was a social contract between his government and the people of state.

The governor urged the committee to strictly follow the accountability framework designed for implementing the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, strategic planning, strong and transparent monitoring and supervision systems.

Wike charged the committee to follow systematic reporting, noting that the framework would show which actors are responsible for each mechanism and the levels of government they relate to.

He identified lack of trust in the system, as a huge challenge for the people, when it comes to the discussion on Universal Health Coverage, and urged the Committee to engage communities in the exercise.

Also, he tasked them to increase sensitization and communication about government’s health policies to improve participation across all sectors.

According to him with the inauguration of the country, his administration has demonstrated the political will to provide the much-needed health services to all, who live and work in the state, especially the vulnerable population.

Responding the Chairman of the Committee and Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Caroline Wali, thanked the governor for his political will and commitment to improve healthcare delivery in the state.