WHO seeks operationalisation of Nigeria’s health law

World Health Organisation (WHO) has pledged support for operationalisation of Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act to end out-of-pocket expenditure in the sector.

Speaking at the first meeting of WHO Health Financing Mission in Nigeria with the NHIA management, yesterday, in Abuja, Technical Officer on Health Financing at WHO, Nigeria, Dr Francis Nwachukwu Ukwuije, urged a path for financial risk protection with a view to achieving a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health security.

He said the journey to risk protection in Nigeria through compulsory health insurance was important to national development.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation and Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Molumbo, said WHO believes that implementation of the Act holds the key to transforming access to healthcare in Nigeria for the most populous black nation to achieve universal health coverage.

Also speaking, the Director-General of NHIA, Prof. Mohammed Sambo, observed that the best way of achieving UHC was to provide financial risk protection for the people, adding that the mechanism to attaining this remains compulsory health insurance.

Sambo explained that the NHIA Act had made provisions for the establishment of Vulnerable Group Fund to cater for the health insurance of 92 million Nigerians.

By  Adamu Abuh and Ameh Ochojila, Abuja

https://guardian.ng/news/who-seeks-operationalisation-of-nigerias-health-law/