The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, of Ultimate Health Management Services, Mr Lekan Ewenla, has said Nigeria will record an increased coverage under the National Health Insurance Authority in 2023.
Speaking with The Punch, he said after several years of failed efforts to repeal and replace the National Health Insurance Scheme, the feat was finally achieved in 2022, which changed the narration and concept of health insurance in Nigeria.
He noted that the NHIA, formerly known as the NHIS, was established under the NHIA Act 2022 by the Federal Government to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare for all Nigerians.
Ewenla said the full implementation would be felt more in 2023 because the new health insurance law has made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and legal residents in the country.
He said, “The new NHIA looks so promising; I can say that because I know the current leadership of the authority is well grounded in the concept of Health Insurance and healthcare financing. He has taken his time to assemble his team of experts and management team and is working closely with the critical stakeholders.”
“The critical stakeholders are the Health Maintenance Organizations, the healthcare providers, and everyone that matters and I know that in 2023, we are going to hit the ground running, developing the operational guideline for the new law to commence. “
According to him, the new operational guidelines will ensure the setting up of the treatment protocols, the standard for service to be provided, defining what is supposed to be done by different stakeholders, and setting the premium which would ensure standardization.
In addition, the operational guidelines will be looking at driving the compliance,” he said.
Culled from The Punch article by Nike Popoola published Friday February 10th, 2023.