Nigeria’s health insurance enrolment rises to 23 million — NHIA

Nigeria’s medical health insurance enrolment greater to 23.06 million other people in the second one quarter of 2026, up from 16.2 million in past due 2023, the Director-Common of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Kelechi Ohiri, has mentioned.

Mr Ohiri disclosed this on Thursday whilst turning in the keynote cope with on the eleventh Long run of Well being Convention organised via Nigeria Well being Watch in Abuja.

He mentioned enrolment throughout federal, state and personal medical health insurance schemes grew via 42.35 in keeping with cent over the length.

Then again, Mr Ohiri mentioned expanding enrolment by myself would now not ensure get right of entry to to healthcare or offer protection to Nigerians from monetary hardship.

“We continuously face the truth of a distinction between an insurance plans report and authentic monetary possibility coverage,” he mentioned.

“An insurance coverage card in a citizen’s pocket is incomprehensible if it does now not grant fast get right of entry to to a practical facility, ensure very important drugs, offer protection to towards catastrophic out-of-pocket bills, and ship dignity throughout scientific emergencies.”

Bettering get right of entry to and responsibility

Mr Ohiri mentioned the NHIA had presented measures to lend a hand enrollees perceive their advantages, get right of entry to give a boost to and grasp healthcare suppliers responsible.

Those come with the MyNHIA cellular software and a web-based self-enrolment portal. He mentioned the authority additionally disbursed enrollee charters and receive advantages package deal main points via interactive QR codes at authorised well being amenities national.

Consistent with him, the codes allow enrollees to test the consultations, diagnostic services and products and drugs lined via their insurance coverage applications.

Mr Ohiri mentioned the NHIA additionally bolstered its court cases control device to deal with grievances involving enrollees, healthcare amenities and well being upkeep organisations (HMOs).

Mr Ohiri mentioned the NHIA won and tracked 2,209 court cases via social media, phone calls, walk-in desks, name centres and letters.

He mentioned 82 in keeping with cent of the court cases had been resolved inside of 48 hours, including that the authority secured direct refunds for enrollees who have been improperly charged via healthcare amenities.

The NHIA additionally issued formal warnings to amenities and delisted suppliers for continual non-compliance, he mentioned.

“This is how law converts protection into authentic monetary coverage,” Mr Ohiri mentioned.

Focused on susceptible populations

The NHIA boss mentioned the authority used to be increasing insurance coverage get right of entry to for susceptible Nigerians via focused programmes supported via public subsidies, grants and public-private partnerships.

He mentioned beneath the Elementary Well being Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Gateway, enrolment greater from 2.6 million other people in the second one quarter of 2026 to a few.2 million within the 3rd quarter, representing a 20.5 in keeping with cent build up.

He added that the entire enrollees beneath the gateway have been biometrically verified the use of their Nationwide Identity Numbers (NINs).

Mr Ohiri additionally highlighted a programme established in partnership with the World Fund to offer medical health insurance protection for key inhabitants teams residing with or suffering from primary infectious illnesses in Gombe, Anambra, Ebonyi and Kwara states.

He mentioned enrolment beneath the programme greater from 25,815 beneficiaries within the fourth quarter of 2025 to 58,447 within the 3rd quarter of 2026.

He mentioned ladies accounted for 68 in keeping with cent of the enrollees, whilst all beneficiaries have been biometrically verified the use of their NINs.

Long run of Well being is Now

The convention, themed “From Innovation to Have an effect on: The Long run of Well being is Now”, introduced in combination stakeholders to speak about how inventions, investments, analysis and insurance policies can translate into measurable enhancements in healthcare supply.

Mr Ohiri mentioned well being inventions should remedy sensible issues, generate proof, stay financially sustainable and transform built-in into present techniques to succeed in have an effect on at scale.

He mentioned the NHIA’s reforms had been supposed to construct a well being financing device that protects Nigerians from monetary hardship whilst making improvements to get right of entry to to healthcare.

“The way forward for well being isn’t a far off imaginative and prescient,” he mentioned.

“Via strategic buying, rigorous proof, and dedication to fairness, the way forward for well being is occurring at this time.”

READ ALSO: Experts call for wider adoption of proven health innovations in Nigeria

In her remarks, the Managing Director of Nigeria Well being Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, mentioned Nigeria should glance past the improvement of well being inventions to the financing, insurance policies, procurement processes and knowledge techniques had to maintain them and amplify their achieve.

Mrs Ihekweazu mentioned the eleventh version of the convention supplied a possibility to mirror on courses from greater than a decade of discussions on common well being protection, healthcare financing, era and the position of the personal sector in strengthening Nigeria’s well being device.

She mentioned inventions would handiest ship significant well being results if policymakers prioritised scale and sustainability from the outset.

Mentioning a overview of virtual inventions in maternal and new child well being in Nigeria, she mentioned not one of the 10 interventions tested had completed sustained scale, in large part as a result of they lacked transparent possession inside the well being device and a pathway into regimen carrier supply.