Buhari: 83m Nigerians To Benefit From National Health Insurance Bill
The National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022 has been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. Through this newly enacted law, the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2004 will be repealed.
While speaking during the signing of the bill, President Buhari stated that the new law made provisions for the setup of a trust fund “to ensure the coverage of 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay premiums as recommended by the Lancet Nigeria Commission”.
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He was quoted in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, saying, “For the large number of vulnerable individuals who are not able to pay health insurance premiums, a Vulnerable Group Fund will be set up to include a component of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund due to the Authority, Health Insurance Levy, Special Intervention Fund, and any investment proceeds, donations and gifts to the Authority.”
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President Buhari also said there would also be collaborations with the state government health insurance schemes to accredit primary and secondary health facilities to ensure the delivery of quality health services.
He then asked the health sector reform committee — which was inaugurated in January 2022 — to work with the state governments, the federal ministry of health, and the national health insurance authority to ensure the implementation of the new act.
According to the statement, under the new act, the health insurance authority and state governments will also develop information management systems and digital records for better data collection, monitoring, and quality assurance.
