The North-East Zonal Coordinator of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr.Ezekiel Danjuma, has called on critical stakeholders, including Health Care Facilities (HCFs) and Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), to redouble their efforts toward ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services to enrollees under the NHIA.
Mr.Danjuma made the call during a one-day stakeholders’ forum organized by the NHIA in Maiduguri, Borno State.
He noted that the Authority has embarked on several reforms andi nitiatives aimed at expanding health insurance coverage and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
According to him, these reforms include the Presidential directive mandating all staff of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to compulsorily register under health insurance, the introduction of the NHIA Self-Service Portal, and a significant upward review of provider payments—with a 93% increase in capitation and a 368% increase in fee-for-service rates.
In his remarks, the Borno State Coordinator of NHIA, Mr. Ahmed Jamal, stressed that these innovations can only yield the desired results through synergy and collaboration among all stakeholders.
He urged MDA desk officers in the state to take the Presidential directive seriously by encouraging unregistered staff to enroll, warning that soon, government services such as licenses and permits may be restricted to public servants enrolled under NHIA.
The forum also featured presentations on various NHIA initiatives, including the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme and the NHIA Free Fistula Programme, presented by Dr. Zubairu Mohammed and Dr. Adamu Maaji of the Standard Quality Assurance Department.
Additionally, Mr. Mohammed Mohammed and Pharm. Bala Mohammed of NHIA made presentations on the Group, Individual, and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP) and the NHIA Benefit Package, respectively.
In her contribution, Mrs. Bosede of AIICO Multishield HMO urged healthcare facilities to strictly adhere to NHIA guidelines in managing claims to ensure seamless access to reimbursement funds.
The forum brought together key stakeholders in the health insurance ecosystem to discuss progress, challenges, and strategies for strengthening healthcare delivery.
