The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said on Tuesday that 90 per cent of Nigerians were not covered in the nation’s health insurance scheme.
He said:”All is not yet well with the health sector despite the progress that we have made. One of those areas that is not well is out-of-pocket spending Nigerians faced to access health. We are concerned about how this means to Nigerians on the street. “In recent years, with the enactment of the NHIA 2022 and now with the operational guidelines,it marked a turning point where it is mandatory that the sub-national units are really factored in, and the National Health Act where there is a fund for the vulnerable group. So we are now set to execute and make faster progress.”WHO to vaccinate over 500,000 Benue girls aged 9-14 against cervical cancer
According to him,”Before the signing of the NHIA Act into law on May 19, 2022, all attempts to protect the good citizens of Nigeria from the catastrophic effects of high medical bills through health insurance yielded sub-optimal results.” “The Guidelines clarify the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders within the Health Insurance Ecosystem. They specify the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services for all Nigerians and how schemes will strategically purchase these services across“The Guidelines specify standards for the accreditation of critical stakeholders operating within the health insurance ecosystem as well as the penalties for offences committed by defaulting stakeholders.
The NHIA boss explained that,” One of the cornerstones of these guidelines is the principle of equity.”