Under its current leadership, NHIA is working hard with local and international partners to achieve a significant increase in enrolment rates as well as improve the quality of care provided in the nation’s health insurance system.
These objectives are being pursued as an organic component of two ambitious policy initiatives: the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration and the Health Sector Renewal Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare which is led by Coordinating Minister, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
The health component of the Renewed Hope Agenda is an expression of the Administration’s commitment to a resilient and integrated healthcare system. Health insurance, the most efficient and democratic route to improved healthcare, is central to these objectives as the government’s target of reaching 50m enrollees in four years demonstrates.
President Bola Tinubu identified the key anchors and priorities of the healthcare policies of his government during the unveiling of Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the signing of the Health Renewal Compact by Federal, State Governments, and Development Partners in Abuja in December 2023.
In his words: “Delivering improved quality health is an underpinning factor in my promise of Renewed Hope to Nigerians. That hope is ignited here today with the support of all multilateral partners and agencies; health is back on the front burner.”
The President also clarified that his administration’s conception of health is holistic:
”Health is not merely the absence of disease but the embodiment of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is a fundamental human right and Nigeria’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Care Coverage is reflected in the unwavering dedication of my administration to uphold this right for every individual, young or old, in rural or urban areas”.
The Sector Renewal Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare builds on this transformative vision to ensure that the pillars holding up the policy, manpower and infrastructural pillars holding up the Nigerian health system are strengthened.
The focus is on the transformation of the nation’s health sector through increased investments, comprehensive upgrading of infrastructure, equipment as well as retraining of key workers in the healthcare space to ensure improved indices.
The ultimate objective, as Professor Pate has stated is to ensure that “the huge population of Nigeria becomes an asset that is prosperous, that is peaceful and that harnesses their human capital”.
Health insurance is the major tool for realizing this vision. The minister described the NHIA Act of 2022 as “foundation for a transformative healthcare system in Nigeria that genuinely aspires to leave no one behind. No Nigerian should choose between their health and financial well-being”.