Key points
- Health insurance enrolment has increased to more than 22 million Nigerians, according to NHIA.
- The authority attributes the growth to wider implementation of mandatory health insurance and stronger collaboration with states and employers.
- NHIA says it has improved consumer protection, resolved most complaints and increased payments to healthcare providers.
- The agency believes effective implementation, rather than new policies, is now the biggest challenge to achieving universal health coverage.
Main story
More than 22 million Nigerians are now enrolled in health insurance schemes, reflecting growing adoption of mandatory health coverage and ongoing reforms aimed at expanding access to medical care across the country.
The Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Kelechi Ohiri, said membership reached 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent increase compared with the previous year.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos, Ohiri attributed the increase to closer collaboration between the NHIA, state health insurance agencies, government institutions, organised labour, employers and private sector organisations.
He said the authority’s focus has shifted from developing policies to ensuring they translate into better healthcare services, stronger consumer protection and wider access to quality medical treatment.
According to Ohiri, Nigeria already has the legal and policy framework required to achieve universal health coverage, but success will depend on effective implementation and accountability rather than introducing additional legislation.
He said reforms introduced since the transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme have strengthened regulation of health maintenance organisations and healthcare providers while improving oversight of service delivery.
The authority has also expanded consumer protection measures by improving its complaints resolution process, enforcing compliance standards and introducing service benchmarks for healthcare providers. NHIA said it resolved 3,878 complaints with an 87 per cent success rate, refunded more than N14.2 million to enrollees and sanctioned facilities that failed to meet required standards.
Ohiri added that payments to healthcare providers have been significantly increased to improve service quality, while thousands of hospitals have undergone quality assessments under the SafeCare framework. He also highlighted programmes supporting pregnant women, retirees and other vulnerable groups as part of efforts to broaden access to healthcare.
The issues
Nigeria is pursuing universal health coverage to ensure all citizens can access affordable healthcare regardless of income or location. While enrolment is rising, expanding coverage further will depend on effective implementation, improved service delivery and stronger collaboration among federal and state institutions.
What’s being said
“The decisive variable is now implementation—consistent, rigorous and accountable execution that converts political commitment into healthcare access for real Nigerians.” — Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General, NHIA
What’s next
The NHIA is expected to continue expanding mandatory health insurance coverage, strengthen oversight of healthcare providers and work with state governments to bring more Nigerians into the health insurance system.
Bottom line
Nigeria’s health insurance programme is recording steady growth, but sustaining the momentum will require effective implementation and continued improvements in the quality and accessibility of healthcare services.
