Health Insurance Now Compulsory For Every Nigerian, Says NHIA DG

Director-general (DG) of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Professor Mohammed Sambo, has charged the state offices of the agency to ensure that no Nigerian is left uncovered under the health insurance scheme.

Sambo, who spoke in Kaduna yesterday when he received the Award of Excellence from the Kaduna State office of NHIA, said with the  NHIA Act 2022, health insurance is now mandatory for all Nigerians and legal residents in the country.

Represented at the event by the acting director of special duties of NHIA, Sulaiman Ibrahim, the DG said NHIA had been well repositioned and placed on the right pedestal to achieve its statutory mandate of attaining Universal Health Coverage, especially with the birth of the new NHIA Act 2022.

He said the NHIA Act 2022 has introduced some landmark innovations such as redefining the objects of the Authority and streamlining the objects of the Authority.

“Accordingly, NHIA is to regulate, integrate and promote health insurance in Nigeria. The Act has made health insurance mandatory to all Nigerians and legal residents, the establishment of the Vulnerable Group Fund to subsidize the cost of provision of health care services to the vulnerable persons in Nigeria, amongst other innovations that have changed the health insurance ecosystem,” he said.

Earlier, the Kaduna State coordinator of the Authority, Aminu Tanimu in his welcome address said the award was organised to celebrate excellence, honour outstanding achievements and recognise individuals and organisations that have made exceptional contributions to their respective fields under the NHIA eco system.

The recipients of the award included the Chief Medical Director of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, Prof. Aishatu Armaya’u; Police Health Management Organization (HMO), Giwa Specialist Hospital; Regenix HMO; Freedom Radio 92.9; Invicta FM 98.9; Hajia Ummulkhair Sada and Alhaji Kabiru Umar among others.