The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, has highlighted the state’s innovative strategies for achieving health equity, stating that every resident — particularly children, women, and adolescents must have access to quality healthcare regardless of their location or economic status.
Dr. Oreh spoke during the 5th CIHP Scientific Roundtable themed “Reimagining Health Systems”, which took place in Abuja last week. She noted that the persistence of zero-dose children, adolescent health gaps, and limited access for underserved women shows that inclusion in health systems must be intentional, not incidental.
She explained that although the health sector reforms remain a work in progress, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s “Health4All Rivers” strategy has served as a navigational guide, anchored on seven pillars: Financial and geographical accessibility, access to essential medicines and commodities, strengthening human resources for health, health security and emergency responsiveness, action-oriented partnerships & domestic resource mobilisation, robust health information systems and leadership and governance for health
According to her, these approaches including integrated outreach, digital tracking, and community-based service delivery have contributed to bridging access gaps and expanding coverage in hard-to-reach communities.
The Roundtable also underscored that health equity is not only a matter of fairness but also improves overall system efficiency, generating stronger economic returns and reinforcing social trust.
