Administrators Laud Impact Of National Health Insurance Reforms

Top hospital administrators in Kano State have commended the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for the positive impact of ongoing reforms, which include support for women experiencing obstetric fistula and the recent increase in capitation payments paid to HMOs and other healthcare providers.

The reforms are part of the Tinubu administration’s focus on expanding access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians, which is reflected in the National Health Sector Renewal programme of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under Coordinating Minister, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate.

According to the administrators, NHIA programmes implemented by Dr Kelechi Ohiri-led management have transformed healthcare delivery in their facilities through tariff increases and other forms of targeted support. This has enabled significant improvements, including infrastructural upgrades, faster authorisation of treatment, enhanced patient care, and overall operational efficiency despite the country’s economic challenges.

Speaking during a recent impact assessment of the NHIA’s reforms, Dr. Hussaini Muhammad, Chief Medical Director of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, revealed that the NHIA’s support has been critical to progress on many fronts.

In his words, “The N120,000 fistula support package (N20k transport + N100k feeding) is revolutionary. Before NHIA, these patients, often impoverished, abandoned treatment due to costs. Now, they receive surgery and seed capital to restart their lives. One woman used the funds to open a petty shop; another bought sewing machines. This is dignity restored.”

Dr Muhammad also highlighted service delivery and infrastructure upgrades enabled by NHIA, which have led to faster, more accurate test results and rehabilitation of previously dilapidated wards.

“Before now, patients faced delays in test results. With automated machines funded by NHIA, results are ready in hours, not days. Patients no longer wander the hospital searching for reports. This reliability has reduced frustration and improved trust in our system. For doctors, these automated results are medically more accurate. We no longer doubt laboratory findings”.

He also revealed that since NHIA’s intervention, maternal mortality has dropped by about 40 per cent as payment delays have become a thing of the past.

Similarly, the chief medical director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Dr Abdurrahman Abba Sheshe, described the recent increase in capitation payments made to his hospital and ot her healthcare providers under NHIA as transformative.

Dr Sheshe explained that before NHIA’s intervention, the situation was grim: many drugs were out of stock due to high prices, the ophthalmology department stopped issuing glasses, and internally generated revenue was inadequate to make up for the gaps. NHIA’s intervention has led to a tremendous improvement in many aspects of the hospital’s operations.

According to the chief medical director, “NHIA’s tariff increase has reduced out-of-stock syndrome by 80 per cent. We purchase drugs at market rates, and patients get glasses again. HMO approvals now take under 15 minutes via digital portals. The fee-for-service adjustments let us provide care immediately, even before codes arrive. Last week, a diabetic ulcer patient got surgery in 1 hour instead of five days.”

The executive secretary of the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Dr Rahila Aliyu, and the consultant family physician at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Dr Zainab Umar, further corroborated the benefits of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC) and the capitation payments.

Aliyu commended the quality-enhancing and life-saving components of the reforms, highlighting features such as emergency care, long-term coverage and patient-centred components, which enabled improvements in survival and mortality rates.

Umar explained that the increases in capitation and fee-for-service rates have led to significant improvements, including the restoration of full hospital services, enhanced drug procurement, and faster patient attendance rates.