Kelechi Ohili, President Bola Tinubu’s nominee to head the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA), says he will ensure more Nigerians have access to health insurance.
Oiri disclosed this during a review by the Senate Committee on Health at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday.
In his presentation, the candidate said it is a fact that very few Nigerians are financially protected from healthcare costs.
“According to the figures we have, less than 7 per cent of Nigerians are protected and have security.
“These numbers have been less than 10% since inception. This is very low and needs to improve if Nigeria is to continue on the path to universal healthcare.”
He pointed out that there are many reasons why these numbers are low, including policy frameworks, awareness issues and trust issues.
“Health insurance was one of many schemes introduced by the government to improve access to health care and was therefore voluntary.
“With the passage of the NHIA Act of 2022, health insurance coverage has become mandatory.
“For insurance to work, that mandate is an important part of actually driving and improving coverage.”
Indeed, Oiri said, there was little recognition of health insurance as a true tool for financial protection.
“Part of it is cultural and part of it requires more effort and efforts on our part to educate Nigerians about this.
“About 70 per cent of Nigerians still pay for their healthcare out of pocket or privately, which means they are vulnerable to shocks and vulnerable to rising healthcare costs.
“By bringing many of these under the umbrella of health insurance, it will be possible to expand coverage,” he said.
Mr. Ohiri added that some Nigerians do not have the necessary premiums for insurance.
“This is where interventions such as the Basic Healthcare Delivery Fund and more recently the Vulnerable Groups Fund come into play.
“To begin expanding health insurance coverage, we need to address these three fundamentals.”
Earlier, the committee’s chairman, Senator Banigo Iparibo, proposed how to figure out the exact number of people covered by health insurance in both the formal and informal sectors. asked the person.
Without argument, she said that health insurance is a way to reduce people’s out-of-pocket costs.
Mr Iparibo urged candidates to ensure that the Fund for Vulnerable Groups is used effectively and how it actually impacts the lives of children under five, pregnant women and seniors over 60. I asked for it.
