By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has disclosed that over 20 million Nigerians have been enrolled in the health insurance scheme across Nigeria.
The Acting Zonal Coordinator North Central Zone for Kwara, Niger and Kogi, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Stakeholders Forum organised in Kwara to sensitize stakeholders including Health Management Officers (HMOs), Healthcare providers, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He explained that the Forum is to enlighten the public on policies of the Authority in ensuring best practices, saying the current reforms of the Authority is for optimal healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
He also pointed out these policies is geared towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UCH) by 2030, adding that Nigeria is targeting enrollment of 44 million people who will be able to access healthcare delivery.
“We are enlightening the stakeholders about the increase in tariff. The NHIA is ensuring efficiency through quality in service delivery.
“We are increasing the tariff in terms of capitation, also there is increase in terms of fee for service. Before it was N750 for capitation, currently the fee is N1,450 for every life that is registered under health insurance,” he said.
Abdullahi also disclosed that the Authority has increased the standard of accreditation and re-accreditation, so that it will be in tune with the current demand despite the challenges.
According to him, these reforms are part of the activities of the current management led by Dr Kelechi Ohiri,
the Director General of the NHIA, who is working assiduously to ensure every citizen in Nigeria is enrolled under the Scheme.
He asserts that President Ahmed Tinubu has made health insurance enrollment compulsory for all citizens in the country, adding that this is to ensure Nigerians have access to health care.
“We are working towards ensuring a drug free society, under the NHIA medicine initiative. We are going to have NHIA branded drugs that our enrollees can easily access,” he said.
Similarly, Abdullahi stated that in ensuring that enrollees don’t suffer at point of accessing service, the Federal Government has introduced the One-hour Referral Authorization Code.
He explained that this will ensure that enrollees don’t suffer waiting when they need referrals from primary to secondary healthcare.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator, NHIA Kwara Office, Hajiya Idayat Bello-Olaitan, expressed delight on the introduction of the new Intervention programmes that will improve access and quality of healthcare delivery in the country.
She listed some of the new intervention to include the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC) programme, designed to tackle the five leading causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria.
These causes, she said are haemorrhage, preeclampsia, sepsis, post-abortion complications, and obstructed labour.
She listed other programmes to include the NHIA Free Fistula Programme (FFP) and Global Fund HIV-AIDS Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DRT).
“These Programmes are crucial in scaling up Universal Health Coverage and aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector as directed by the President,” she said.
Olaitan disclosed that the Authority is commencing on ‘Mystery Shopping’, which is monitoring and evaluation conducted by officials of the NHIA,
to ensure enrollees don’t suffer in terms of accessing healthcare from providers.
“The government is committed towards ensuring that enrollees don’t suffer at the point of accessing services.
“This is also to mandate all health facilities gives the right treatment to all enrollees. We demand that there is quality assurance at all the healthcare facilities,” she said.
The NHIA Kwara coordinator explained that the Forum, which is also taking place across the 36 States is an affirmation of the government resolve towards achieving universal health coverage
She added that the forum will go a long way in sensitizing and disseminating new policies of the Authority to stakeholders in the state in achieving UHC by 2030.
