The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), on Friday disclosed that more than 20 million Nigerians have so far enrolled in the national health insurance scheme.
Adamu Abdullahi, Acting Zonal Coordinator for the North-Central Zone covering Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States, gave the disclosure in Ilorin at the NHIA Stakeholders’ Forum held in Kwara.
The forum brought together stakeholders including Health Management Organisations (HMOs), healthcare providers, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to sensitise them on the Authority’s policies and reforms aimed at improving healthcare delivery.
Abdullahi explained that the reforms are targeted at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, with a national enrollment goal of 44 million people.
“We are enlightening stakeholders about the increase in tariffs. The NHIA is committed to ensuring efficiency through quality service delivery. For instance, capitation has been increased from N750 to N1,450 per enrollee under the scheme,” he said.
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The coordinator also disclosed that the Authority has raised the standards for accreditation and re-accreditation of facilities to meet current demands despite prevailing challenges.
According to him, these reforms are part of the efforts of the NHIA management led by the Director-General, Kelechi Ohiri, to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the scheme.
Abdullahi further noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made health insurance enrollment compulsory for all citizens to guarantee access to healthcare.
“We are also working towards a drug-secure society under the NHIA Medicine Initiative. Soon, NHIA-branded drugs will be available for enrollees to easily access,” he added.
He highlighted the Federal Government’s introduction of the One-Hour Referral Authorization Code to prevent delays when enrollees need referrals from primary to secondary healthcare.
Also speaking, Idayat Bello-Olaitan, the Kwara State Coordinator of NHIA, commended the new intervention programmes designed to improve access and quality of healthcare services across the country.
She listed some of the interventions, including the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC) programme, targeted at reducing maternal mortality by addressing haemorrhage, preeclampsia, sepsis, post-abortion complications, and obstructed labour.
Others include the NHIA Free Fistula Programme (FFP) and the Global Fund HIV-AIDS Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DRT) programme.
“These programmes are crucial to scaling up Universal Health Coverage and align with the Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector as directed by the President,” she said.
Olaitan further revealed that the authority has commenced Mystery Shopping a monitoring and evaluation initiative by NHIA officials to ensure that enrollees receive the right treatment and do not face challenges in accessing care, stressing that “the government is committed to ensuring quality assurance at all healthcare facilities and protecting enrollees at the point of service delivery.”
She added that the stakeholders’ forum, being held simultaneously across the 36 states, is a clear demonstration of the government’s resolve to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 while keeping stakeholders adequately informed of new NHIA policies and interventions.
