The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the states have begun establishing processes and structures to maximise the benefits of a historic support by Global Fund for the nation’s health insurance system.
The financing, valued at $669 million, was announced by Global Fund in February. This is in line with the Fund’s strategy (2023-2028) which aims to support country health financing systems to improve sustainability, including reducing financial barriers to access and strengthening purchasing efficiency.
It will boost efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, two diseases that remain significant challenges despite recent progress in combating them.
The details of the strategy were discussed last week in Abuja at a two-day inception meeting attended by the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM), representatives of State Health Insurance Agencies (SHIAs) as well as public and private sector experts.
The NHIA director general, Dr Kelechi Ohiri who delivered the opening address, led the lively sessions which focused on execution priorities to ensure that set targets are achieved.
He identified impact, efficiency and sustainability as the core justifications and benefits for the Global Fund direct support for the nation’s health system.
In his words: “The first is the issue of impact – impact in the sense that when you intervene to support and treat someone, you’re treating the entire person. So, by expanding the health care benefits that people receive, it means that we are recognizing them as a whole and an individual. So, that means better health outcomes overall.
“Rather than have multiple vertical programs for every single thing, we are looking at a systems approach to addressing some of these issues and the care that is provided to them. So, it is definitely a more efficient way to address the needs of these populations.
“Third is sustainability. By integrating them into the health system that way, we have a more efficient, and a more impactful and sustainable health system.”
As part of the process, pilot programmes have been set up in five states to provide selected populations of vulnerable people living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis access to health insurance through premium payments. The programmes will monitor the selected populations in the selected states according to defined metrics and the learnings from evaluation will provide guidelines for scale-up across the country.
According to a proposal which has been approved by the CCM and the Global Fund the project will be implemented by NHIA through state health insurance agencies in four of the states – Kwara, Gombe, Ebonyi and Anambra. In Lagos, the state’s health ministry will be responsible for implementation.
This timeline of the project is 2024 to 2026.
The five pilot states are expected to produce their work plans within a week for review and subsequent implementation.
