The Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA) has introduced that it has surpassed the 2024 presidential goal for medical insurance enrollment and is now set to extend progress protection by a further 20% in 2025.
The 2024 goal was designed to be achieved throughout the four-year tenure of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Director-Basic of NHIA, shared this purpose in an interview in the course of the 2024 Common Well being Protection Day celebrations in Abuja.
Whereas reflecting on the authority’s progress, key achievements, and imaginative and prescient for reaching Common Well being Protection (UHC) by 2025, he mentioned two million Nigerians enrolled in medical insurance programmes on the federal and state ranges throughout the first 9 months of 2024.
“There is a rise within the whole variety of enrollees from 16.7 million to 19.2 million Nigerians, a powerful 14% progress in lower than a yr,” Dr. Ohiri revealed.
Dr. Ohiri mentioned earlier than the enactment of the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Act (NHIA) in 2022, Nigeria’s medical insurance protection had remained stagnant at round 7 % for almost twenty years.
In line with him, this was primarily as a result of restricted scope of medical insurance, which primarily served the formal sector, leaving susceptible populations underserved.
“Common Well being Protection is not only a purpose; it’s an important basis for the well-being of each Nigerian. We’re making important progress, however the work forward is simply as essential.
“With continued collaboration, innovation, and a deal with fairness, our goal is to make sure that all Nigerians have entry to high quality healthcare, no matter their socio-economic standing,” Dr. Ohiri added.
Looking forward to 2025, the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority has unveiled 5 important objectives aimed toward increasing medical insurance protection and bettering healthcare providers throughout Nigeria.
Dr. Ohiri, emphasised the significance of those initiatives in attaining Common Well being Protection (UHC).
“Wanting ahead, there are 5 must-win areas we intention to realize,” mentioned Ohiri.
The NHIA plans to launch a devoted program in collaboration with the Pension Fee (Pencom) to supply medical insurance protection for pensioners, guaranteeing that retirees should not left with out healthcare safety.
To extend public participation, the NHIA will leverage social media platforms and have interaction with the media constantly. This technique is aimed toward educating Nigerians about the advantages of medical insurance and inspiring energetic involvement.
Ohiri revealed that the NHIA goals to extend medical insurance enrollment by 20% by the top of 2025, surpassing the present presidential goal. This shall be a major step in increasing protection to extra Nigerians.
A key improvement for the NHIA is the deliberate launch of an end-to-end digital platform. This platform will enable Nigerians to entry NHIA providers electronically, together with enrollment, claims submission, and complaints dealing with.
In a bid to sort out maternal mortality, the NHIA will develop its maternal mortality discount intervention program, CeMoNC, to greater than 100 well being services throughout the nation.
“These initiatives will be sure that medical insurance is extra accessible and inclusive, finally bettering healthcare outcomes for Nigerians,” Ohiri concluded.
These efforts signify the NHIA’s strategic path for 2025, specializing in inclusivity, digital transformation, and the enlargement of important healthcare providers.
