NHIA Act Will Speed Up Nigeria’s Universal Health Coverage – DG

The Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Prof Mohammed Sambo has assured the international health policy community that the NHIA Act recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari will accelerate the country’s efforts to bring access to affordable and quality healthcare to all Nigerians within the projected period.

The ten year strategic plan, the agency’s official document, projects the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in the year 2030. Sambo gave this assurance at the Royal Institute of International Affairs popularly known as The Chatham House, in London.

In a paper titled, Institutional Leadership For Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria, Sambo noted that the Act provides the legal muscle to rapidly increase coverage by making health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and legal residents, adding that this had been the single most significant impediment to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage before now.

“Studies have shown globally that it is difficult, anywhere in the world, for universal health coverage to be achieved without the element of legal mandatories. Every developed nation where all her citizens have access to basic health insurance compulsion is not lacking.”

Reflecting on the history of health in Nigeria, the health insurance boss traced the 23-year trajectory of the frontline health insurance regulator from a previously unstable organization to the transition into the present respected institution, stressing that the reforms initiated when he took office three years ago was beginning to reflect significantly on the entire ecosystem.

Anchored on a three-point rebranding agenda of Restoring a value system that would transform the organization into a result driven agency, Engendering transparency and accountability and Accelerating the drive towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage, Sambo noted that the reforms embarked upon had brought stability, unity of purpose and progress to a decentralized ecosystem, adding that with the laying of a strong foundation the super structure held the positive prospects of development at sub national levels.

Expressing the commitment of the NHIA to implement both the spirit and the letter of the legislation, Sambo highlighted the thematic areas of implementation to include legal and regulatory, financial and technical and advocacy and sensitization, adding that all relevant stakeholders have been engaged and their support and buy in received for smooth implementation of the Act.

The engagement which was organised by the Commission For Universal Health Coverage and The Public Health Africa Policy of the Chatham House drew participants from Nigeria’s political leadership such as the Governors of Gombe, Lagos and Nasarawa states under the theme, Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria: Optimizing Institutional Opportunities and Partnership For Success.

The London based Institute issued a letter of commendation to the Director General of NHIA for his contribution to the events.