, has launched the neonatal component of its Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) Programme in Kano State, aimed at expanding quality healthcare access for vulnerable populations.){kind=link}
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched the neonatal component of its Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) Programme in Kano State, aimed at expanding quality healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
The initiative was formally inaugurated with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NHIA and the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), under the supervision of the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf.
The Director General of NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, represented by Dr Sikiru Salaudeen, Director of Informal Sector Department, disclosed that the pilot phase of the neonatal programme is already running in four Lagos facilities, while four hospitals in Kano, including AKTH, will also administer the scheme.
Dr Salaudeen explained that over 200 facilities nationwide are already implementing the maternal component of the programme, treating more than 14,000 women, 40 per cent of them from Kano.
He emphasised that, “The neonatal component builds on the successes of the maternal arm, targeting conditions such as birth asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, neonatal jaundice, and acute surgical emergencies.
“To ensure transparency, independent external verifiers have been engaged to provide oversight.”
Speaking on behalf of AKTH, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Abdurahman Suwaid, revealed that 972 women had already benefited from the maternal component at the hospital, making it the largest NHIA beneficiary-holding facility in Nigeria.
The MoU also covers three other Kano-based facilities: Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, and Khalifah Shiek Isiyaka Rabiu Paediatric Hospital.