The National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA) has conducted training for the staff of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enhance their efforts in promoting health insurance among Nigerians, aligning with the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) aims to provide health care and financial protection to all people in a given country with three related objectives: equity in access; everyone who needs health services should get them, and not simply those who can pay for them; quality of health services.
Speaking on the sidelines of the training in Ilorin, Alhaji Abubakar Haruna, the Zonal Coordinator, North Central Zonal Office, Ilorin explained that the programme is a collaboration initiatives between the NHIA and NOA.
He said that the NOA is expected to assist the Authourity to spread the knowledge about the various programmes, particularly the Group, Individual, Family and Social Health Insurance (GIFSHIP) programme to the nooks and corners of the state.
Haruna stated that NHIA is leveraging on the widespread reach of NOA offices across the 36 states of the Federation and FCT, to reach the hinterlands in disseminating the programmes of the Authourity.
Also speaking, Alhaji Ahmed Yahaya, the Kwara State Coordinator of NHIA, explained further that because of the grassroots spread of the NOA, it is expected that they will sensitise the large masses at the grassroots and mobilise them to get into the health insurance policy.
“We have a new NHIA Act 2022 signed by the former President Muhammad Buhari which makes health insurance mandatory in the nation.
“So we have to get that message down to the grassroots sports that people will be aware and be ready to participate on the programmes,” he said.
In his reaction, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, the Kwara State Director of NOA, submitted that the Agency will collaborate with NHIA to propagate the mandate of health insurance for all Nigerians.
He expressed the readiness of the Agency in ensuring everybody in Kwara State gets captured in the health insurance policy, saying that NOA as an Agency has grassroots reach.
“The NHIA is ensuring that NOA has the capacity to go out, at the state and local government levels to sensitise and educate citizens to buy into the Authourity programmes.
“Nobody must be left behind, it is compulsory for all Nigerians, whether in the formal or informal sector to be registered to have health insurance,” he said.
Mr Chris Abah, the Assistant Director, NHIA, Media and Public Relation Unit pointed out that one of the flagship programmes of GIFSHIP is meant for the grassroots and generality of Nigerians.
According to him, this is an attempt to make sure health insurance is mandatory for all and the country attains the UCH by 2030.
Similarly, Hajia Hauwa Sambo, the Deputy Director, Media Unit of the Authourity noted that the NHIA Act of 2022 has mandated that 84 percent of vulnerable groups are to be captured in the health insurance.
She appealed to all Nigerians to ensure they enrol and get captured in the scheme, which will promote the health of the citizenry.