Health insurance now compulsory, no Nigerians must be left uncovered, NHIA DG tells state offices

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Director-General of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Professor Mohammed Sambo, has charged the state offices of the Authority to ensure that, no life in their domains is left uncovered under health insurance.
The NHIA Director-General who made the call in Kaduna on Monday while receiving an Award of Excellence from the Kaduna State office of the Authority said with the 2022 NHIA Act 2022, health insurance, is now mandatory for all Nigerians and legal residents of the country.
Professor Sambo who was represented at the event by the Ag. Director, of Special Duties of the Authority, Sulaiman Ibrahim said the Authority has 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 for all Nigerians and legal residents, the established 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.
“The Authority has recently unveiled the new Operational Guidelines that would explain and amplify the provisions of the new law. Therefore, I urge you to take advantage of the new health insurance landscape to take health insurance to the last man, woman, and the needy on the street.
“This event is remarkably important for its novelty and timing, in that, it is the first time that a State Chapter of the NHIA would spare time amid its numerous duties to look inward to appreciate and award its Chief Executive Officer, for providing selfless, purposeful and farsighted leadership to the Authority that had once been disarrayed by mismanagement and wanton disregard for law and order,” he said.
While noting that, through the guidance of God Almighty, NHIA under his stewardship, has addressed the wrongs that characterized the organization before he took over as the Chief Executive Officer, the DG charged Kaduna and other state offices that, “you must work extra hard so that no life in your state is left uncovered under the health insurance.”
Earlier, the Kaduna State Coordinator of the Authority, Aminu Tanimu in his welcome address said the award was organized to celebrate excellence, honour outstanding achievements, and recognize individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to their respective fields under the NHIA Ecosystem.