The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated legislative support for the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC) in the country.

The authority’s director-general, Kelechi Ohiri, made the call in an interview with journalists on Friday in Abuja on the sidelines of the fifth Annual Legislative Summit on Health with the theme “Improving Legislative Stewardship and Accountability for UHC.”

UHC means everyone can benefit from quality health services, where and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship.

The NHIA boss said, “We call on legislators for continued partnership and support, particularly in mobilising and financing health insurance for the poor and vulnerable.”

Mr Ohiri stressed the need to expand the funding envelope for vulnerable groups and ensure oversight functions were effectively utilised to verify the appropriate use of funds and identification of beneficiaries.

He explained that “there is already an appropriation for the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme in the 2024 budget. To fulfil the objective of addressing vulnerability, the VGF will also target pregnant women at risk of dying during childbirth.”

Mr Ohiri said that with the collaborative efforts of legislators and health sector leaders, Nigeria can make significant strides towards achieving UHC.

He added that “the commitment to expanding coverage, ensuring equity, and improving quality and efficiency is crucial in protecting Nigerians from catastrophic healthcare costs and achieving health for all.

“We need to enrol more people for health insurance to work while translating enrolment into improved equity, quality of care, market efficiency and ultimately a reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure.”

He expressed gratitude to the legislators “for unwavering support and leadership in advancing the nation’s health agenda.”

Mr Ohiri highlighted significant milestones, such as the passage of the National Health Act in 2014 and the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act in 2022.

He said that since the establishment of health insurance in 1999, significant strides have been made to protect families from catastrophic healthcare costs.

However, he said, the current landscape reveals that only 62 per cent of the formal sector and a mere one per cent of the informal sector are covered by health insurance.

He listed efforts to address the disparity, including government subsidies and increasing the contribution elements from various federal and state programmes.

Aligning with the resident’s agenda for UHC, he said the NHIA had outlined a strategic vision focused on four key objectives: coverage, equity, quality, and efficiency.

(NAN)