A World Health Organization Health Financing Mission, is in Nigeria to work with the National Health Insurance Authority to boost Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.
According to the WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Mulombo, said that the NHIA holds the promise you transform access to healthcare in the country.
He said that the mission is to seek ways the WHO can operationalize the NHIA bill and how to strengthen NHIA to deliver on its mandate.
“We are really appreciative of all the arrangements put in place for us to be able to meet with high level government officials and put across our message as WHO you help you to coordinate all the stakeholders, all the players in the area of health financing in Nigeria. We need to refer to high out of pocket expenditure as an event in the past. And I’m sure NHIA is indeed the right way to go. And we will work to support your effort in that respect,” Mulombo said.
He added that the WHO looks forward to fruitful discussion, deliberation, outcome and most importantly, follow up of actions to be decided by both teams.
On his part, the Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Prof. Muhammed Sambo, while responding to the WHO, said that Nigeria has been operating health insurance for the past twenty three years but coverage of the citizens was low as it was not made mandatory.
He said that with the signing into law of the health insurance bill which makes it compulsory for all Nigerians to be on the insurance scheme, achieving universal health coverage will be easier.
He commended the WHO team from Geneva for insight and wishing Nigeria well.
“I want to thank the WHO team feom Geneva for deeming it fit to come to Nigeria to not only support us but to support us in advocacy to top ranking government officials. There is no gainsaying the fact that health is one of the critical elements of development,” he said.
In a presentation titled, “Repositioning the National Health Insurance Authority for Universal Health Coverage,” Prof. Sambo said that the support of WHO is crucial to the scheme.
He said that the onus however lies on Nigeria to develop a framework to implement UHC in the country.
The Director General added that with the new law, and modalities put in place, the National Health Insurance Authority is poised to achieve universal health coverage for all soon.
