The Federal Authorities has reaffirmed its dedication to strengthening well being financing in Nigeria, with a goal to enrol not less than 44 million Nigerians into the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Scheme by 2030, as a part of efforts to scale back the nation’s heavy dependence on out-of-pocket healthcare spending.
Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare, made this identified in Abuja on the Nationwide Well being Financing Dialogue themed “Reimagining the Way forward for Well being Financing in Nigeria.”
Salako counseled the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA) for convening the discussion board at a time when Nigeria’s well being sector is beneath growing strain to ship sustainable and inclusive reforms.
He famous that President Bola Tinubu had made it clear that financing well being care should be rooted in sustainability, fairness, and safety of essentially the most weak residents.
“One dedication that President Tinubu has made very clear to us within the Federal Ministry of Well being and Social Welfare is the necessity for Nigeria to strengthen well being financing by boosting home sources and lowering dependency on exterior hyperlinks.
“The President has continued to emphasize {that a} sturdy well being system is important for nationwide development, and this is the reason he has directed the implementation of a number of interconnected insurance policies aimed toward attaining common well being protection and defending weak Nigerians”, he mentioned.
The minister identified that this presidential directive was mirrored within the authorities’s growing budgetary allocation to the well being sector.
“Nigeria’s well being finances has grown considerably lately, transferring from ₦434 billion in 2018 to ₦1.2 trillion in 2021. In 2025, the allocation rose additional to ₦2.48 trillion, representing 5.2 % of the nationwide finances”, he acknowledged .
Whereas this marks a considerable nominal improve, he acknowledged that it nonetheless falls in need of the 15% dedication made beneath the Abuja Declaration.
“In response to current shocks brought on by the suspension of U.S. support, the Nationwide Meeting supplied a further ₦300 billion to the 2024 finances, additional growing the efficient allocation to the sector”, he famous .
Salako added that subnational governments additionally stepped up their commitments, collectively elevating their mixed well being budgets by 50% In consequence, Nigeria’s whole well being expenditure as a share of Gross Home Product rose from 3.4% in 2013 to five.03% in 2024.
The minister defined that past budgetary will increase, Nigeria’s well being sector reforms are being pushed by current legislative and coverage frameworks.
Based on him, the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority Act of 2012, which makes medical health insurance obligatory for all Nigerians, has been a landmark coverage.
“It established the Susceptible Group Fund to make sure protection for the poor and deprived who can not afford premiums.
“Equally, the Fundamental Healthcare Provision Fund, created beneath the 2014 Nationwide Well being Act, channels a portion of federal consolidated income into offering entry to important healthcare for the poor and weak.
“This fund additionally serves as a key mechanism for operationalising the Susceptible Group Fund”, he talked about.
Based on Salako, authorities is already contemplating growing the allocation to the Fundamental Healthcare Provision Fund from the present one % of consolidated income to not less than two %.
He revealed that one of many core objectives of the Federal Ministry of Well being and Social Welfare is to enrol not less than 44 million Nigerians into the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage scheme by 2030.
This, he mentioned, would assist drastically scale back the nation’s heavy reliance on out-of-pocket spending, which at the moment accounts for almost 70% of healthcare prices.
Whereas outlining these reforms, the minister admitted that Nigeria nonetheless faces main challenges, together with insufficient budgetary allocations, systemic inefficiencies, fragmented programming, and weak information techniques.
He emphasised the necessity for the nation to attract classes from regional examples reminiscent of Ghana and Kenya, the place political dedication, modern funding, decentralised implementation, and neighborhood engagement have resulted in stronger well being financing fashions.
Salako urged contributors on the dialogue to have interaction actively in technical periods and high-level discussions, stressing that the discussion board ought to function a platform for producing modern concepts, sharing greatest practices, and constructing partnerships that will transfer Nigeria nearer to common well being protection.
“Our shared accountability is to make sure that each Nigerian has entry to high quality healthcare with out monetary hardship.
“Going ahead, we should be ready to be taught, adapt greatest practices, and strengthen our techniques. It’s my hope that this coverage dialogue will carry up a nationally supported reform agenda that focuses on elevated home well being financing, modern mechanisms, and clear administration of sources”, he mentioned.
The minister expressed optimism that Nigeria’s ongoing reforms and renewed commitments would place the nation on a stronger path in direction of sustainable well being financing and improved outcomes for all residents.
On his half, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Coordinating Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare urged state governments and personal actors to match FG’s rising investments within the well being sector and to completely embrace the mandate of common medical health insurance.
He defined that for over 20 years, Nigeria’s well being system has been dominated by out-of-pocket spending by households and communities, a construction that has left thousands and thousands weak to monetary hardship at any time when sickness strikes.
“Within the final two years of this administration, the Federal Authorities has considerably elevated its contribution to well being financing.
“What we now count on from this dialogue is for state governments to decide to matching up, for personal sector actors to work with the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA) to organise personal spending by larger danger swimming pools, and for regulators to make sure the acquisition of high quality companies for Nigerians”, Salako mentioned.
The minister disclosed that medical health insurance uptake is already displaying encouraging indicators, stating that in simply 18 months, 4 million Nigerians had been newly enrolled beneath the NHIA framework.
He described this as unprecedented progress, noting that if the nation had maintained such momentum over the previous 20 years, greater than 60 million Nigerians would already be lined.
“This reveals we’re starting to see a shift in course. The problem now could be to maintain it and make sure the mandate of obligatory medical health insurance turns into a actuality for each Nigerian.
“Employers should discover methods to enrol their staff, and people should additionally discover methods to hitch. Solely then can we construct a big sufficient danger pool to guard residents from catastrophic well being prices”, he mentioned.
Salako careworn that one of many dialogue’s fast aims is to hearken to views from civil society organisations, the media, and different non-state actors earlier than transferring into technical periods with policymakers and improvement companions.
He highlighted current interventions focused at weak populations, reminiscent of free caesarean sections and expanded fistula care, as proof of the administration’s resolve to guard the poorest Nigerians.
“Making obstetric issues reimbursable is among the most dramatic interventions launched beneath President Tinubu.
“The sources can be found, however the larger query is how States will complement what the federal authorities has already put in place”, he famous.
On the difficulty of identification boundaries to entry, Salako confirmed that the NHIA has been working with related businesses to make sure enrollees, together with pregnant girls requiring emergency companies might be issued Nationwide Identification Numbers (NINs) as a part of the method.
