NHIA Extends Coverage To HIV, TB Patients

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is set to fully automate its operations even as the Authority has expanded the national health insurance scheme coverage to enrollees with HIV (PLHIV) and for TB.

Already, the regulatory body is piloting this innovation in four states across the federation.

Speaking at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos last week, acting Director, Lagos regional office of the NHIA, Aisha Abubakar Haruna, who represented her director general, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, also disclosed that health insurance now covered no fewer than 20 million Nigerians up from 16.8million in 2023, thereby, achieving 99 per cent of the 2027 presidential target.

He explained that the Authority achieved an additional 800,000 beneficiaries who joined the basic health care provision fund, bringing the total to 2.6 million as of May 2025.

Stating that NHIA embarked on addressing drug shortages and care delays via the multi-project strategy, he said, “NHIA has focused on expanding health insurance coverage, improving quality of care and protecting the rights of enrollees while strategically and creatively deploying health insurance to save lives in a way that contributes and sustains significant benefit to the health sector.

“As of June, last month, NHIA has achieved 20 million enrollees in health insurance. This was the combined efforts by the state health insurance agencies, health maintenance organizations and the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“As a matter of fact, we have exceeded the mandates that have been given to us by the president. He gave us a target which we exceeded in June. We have a significant jump from 16.8 million Nigerians enrolled by 2023. By June 2025, we have hit 20 million. We have also embarked on addressing drug shortages and care delays via the multi-project strategy.”

The NHIA DG noted that, from 2024 to 2025, NHIA has strategically intervened in the revision of tariffs, revising the accreditation processes and mandating one hour limit on care authorisation while mitigating any previous issues for medicine shortages, denial, delay in issue codes and provider payment delays.