Health
22 million Nigerians enrolled in health insurance — NHIA
Jide Ajia
The number of policyholders under the National Health Insurance Authority has climbed to 22.03 million following the accelerated rollout of the country’s mandatory health insurance policy, signalling that Nigeria’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage has gained significant momentum.
The Director-General of the NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, announced this milestone at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors in Lagos recently, noting that the sharp 35 per cent year-on-year growth reflects a growing nationwide acceptance of health insurance and the Federal Government’s resolve to provide affordable healthcare to all Nigerians.
Speaking on the shift from planning to action, Ohiri stated that the agency had transitioned from mere policy formulation to delivering measurable operational improvements across the country in line with the federal health sector reform agenda.
He said, “Nigeria has a policy. Nigeria has legislation. The decisive variable is now implementation — consistent, rigorous, and accountable execution that converts political commitment into healthcare access for real Nigerians.
“The progress recorded so far demonstrates that sustained collaboration among the Federal Government, states, healthcare providers, Health Maintenance Organisations, employers, and development partners is beginning to translate reform into tangible results for citizens.”
The transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme to the newly empowered NHIA has provided the legal framework required to enforce compliance, strengthening regulation, consumer protection, and strategic purchasing.
This institutional overhaul successfully drove the recent 35 per cent spike in coverage through closer partnerships with State Social Health Insurance Agencies, wider institutional engagement with federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, and stronger compliance ties with organised labour and private sector employers.
The NHIA has simultaneously launched an aggressive push for consumer protection, resulting in an 87 per cent complaint resolution rate that successfully settled 3,878 disputes, concluded 95 per cent of cases within prescribed timelines, refunded over N14.2m to aggrieved enrollees, and issued sanctions to non-compliant facilities.
To further eliminate negligence and ensure health insurance translates into timely care, the regulatory body has introduced rigid service standards, including a mandatory one-hour treatment commencement expectation for any enrolled patient requiring urgent emergency medical attention.
The authority also rolled out massive funding upgrades for healthcare providers to enable clinics and hospitals to cope with the influx of patients, implementing a 93 per cent increase in capitation payments to help facilities invest in personnel and equipment, alongside a 378 per cent increase in fee-for-service reimbursements to ensure fair compensation for complex medical treatments.
In tandem with these financial boosts, the regulator has formally assessed 7,592 healthcare facilities under the SafeCare quality framework as part of an ongoing nationwide effort to institutionalise continuous standard and infrastructural improvements.
The current phase of the health reform has heavily integrated targeted social safety nets for vulnerable groups, expanding maternal and newborn healthcare to support over 48,500 pregnant women, advancing the Vulnerable Group Fund, and deploying enhanced care protocols for pensioners and retirees.
Ohiri concluded that these ongoing structural updates aligned directly with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the sector-wide reforms being coordinated by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, providing an ironclad foundation for public trust as the nation works towards full universal coverage.
