The National Health Insurance Authority says the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance has risen to more than 22 million (about 10 per cent of 240 million Nigerians).

The director-general of NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, said this resulted from the implementation of the mandatory health insurance, which has gained momentum nationwide. He said this on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors in Lagos.

Mr Ohiri said enrolment had increased to 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year growth. He said this was driven by stronger collaboration with State Social Health Insurance Agencies, ministries, departments and agencies.

Others included organised labour, employers, the private sector and the gradual implementation of the mandatory health insurance provisions of the NHIA Act.

He said the country had moved beyond policy formulation to the delivery of measurable improvements in healthcare access, service quality, and consumer protection, in line with the federal government’s health sector reform agenda.

According to him, Nigeria already has the necessary policies and legislation to achieve universal health coverage.

He posited that the key challenge was effective implementation.

Mr Ohiri said the transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme to the NHIA had strengthened regulation, consumer protection, accountability and strategic purchasing while providing the legal and operational framework for achieving universal health coverage.

He added that improving the experience of enrollees remained central to the authority’s reform agenda.

According to him, NHIA has strengthened its complaints management system, introduced faster resolution timelines, and intensified compliance monitoring of health maintenance organisations and healthcare providers.

He further added that NHIA had sanctioned facilities that failed to meet the required standards.

He said the authority had resolved 3,878 complaints, representing an 87 per cent resolution rate, while 95 per cent of the cases were concluded within prescribed timelines.

Mr Ohiri noted that more than N14.2 million had been refunded to enrollees, while non-compliant healthcare facilities had been sanctioned.

He said NHIA had also introduced service standards, including a one-hour target for commencing treatment for enrollees requiring urgent care, to improve access to timely, high-quality healthcare services.

The NHIA boss further disclosed that capitation payments to healthcare providers had been increased by 93 per cent. He said fee-for-service reimbursements rose by 378 per cent, enabling providers to invest more in personnel, equipment and infrastructure.

According to him, 7,592 healthcare facilities have been assessed under the SafeCare quality framework as part of efforts to institutionalise continuous quality improvement across the country.

(NAN)