Health Insurance Enrolment Hits 23m as NHIA Widens Cancer, HIV, TB Cover

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has widened its interventions in cancer care, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), and maternal and newborn health, as enrolment under the national health insurance system surpassed 23 million.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this in Abuja at the inaugural CSO-Led Mid-Year Review of Nigeria’s National Health Sector Reforms, during the Government Technical Briefing Panel.

Ohiri said the Authority had moved beyond laying the policy and legislative foundations for universal health coverage to a stronger focus on implementation and measurable results. He stressed that the real test was not how many people hold an insurance record, but whether coverage translates into access to appropriate care, financial protection and a better healthcare experience.

Cancer care

In cancer care, NHIA has expanded its partnership with Roche under a cost-sharing arrangement for selected oncology medicines. Roche will cover 50 per cent of the cost, NHIA 30 per cent and the patient 20 per cent.

The Authority has also introduced support ranging from ₦400,000 to full coverage for eligible radiotherapy patients. The interventions complement existing cancer services under NHIA’s benefit and payment structure, including mammography, CT and MRI scans, bone scans, cancer-related diagnostic tests and radiotherapy.

Ohiri said the early experience was encouraging and showed how partnerships involving government, insurers, providers and pharmaceutical companies could reduce financial barriers to cancer treatment.

“For us, coverage has to mean something when people become ill. Cancer is one of the clearest examples of why health insurance matters. When treatment is expensive and may continue over time, the question is not simply whether the service is covered, but whether the financial burden on the patient and the family is manageable,” he said.

The NHIA not d it is also expanding financial protection for people living with HIV and TB patients through the Global Fund RSSH grant. As at September 3, 2026, more than 51,000 people had been covered across Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe and Kwara states. They comprise over 46,000 primary beneficiaries and more than 3,700 household members.

Of the primary beneficiaries, over 38,000 are people living with HIV, more than 7,400 are drug-sensitive TB patients and 594 are drug-resistant TB patients.

The Authority has begun accreditation of more than 2,000 healthcare facilities ahead of Global Fund GC8 implementation and a planned nationwide expansion of HIV/AIDS and TB coverage in 2027.

The NHIA said maternal and newborn health interventions have reached more than 93,000 women and newborns through the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) and Fistula-Free programmes.

The figures include 79,221 women reached, 7,500 newborns and 6,044 women treated for fistula. The programmes have national coverage across the 36 states and the FCT, with 286 CEmONC-empanelled facilities and 22 National Obstetric Fistula Centres and partner facilities.

More than 40,000 women have also been enrolled into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). Case fatality at participating maternal health facilities has declined by 22 per cent, from 1,042 in the 2024 baseline to 810 as at August 2026.

According to the NHIA, total national health insurance enrolment rose from about 16 million at the beginning of the Administration to over 23 million while more than 2.7 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians have been supported through the BHCPF.

On patient protection, NHIA said it resolved 3,878 complaints and refunded more than N14.2 million to affected enrollees. It has also issued 368 warning letters and suspended nine healthcare facilities.

The Authority also said it deployed inspection teams to healthcare facilities to monitor compliance with its one-hour treatment authorisation policy and other patient-protection and quality-of-care requirements.

Recent reforms have produced a 93 per cent increase in capitation and a 378 per cent increase in fee-for-service reimbursements, while more than 7,500 healthcare facilities have undergone digital assessment under the SafeCare quality framework.

“We have moved from policy and legislation to measurable implementation. The next task is to move from coverage to reliable access, from reliable access to better health outcomes, and from insurance membership to genuine financial protection,” Ohiri said.

Despite the progress, he acknowledged that most Nigerians remain outside health insurance and that much more needs to be done.

“We have made substantial progress, but we are not where we need to be. Over 23 million Nigerians covered is significant, but it also tells us that there are many more Nigerians who are still outside the system,” he said.