The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF), a non-profit organisation, has identified three major gaps in the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The NSSF also urges closing of the gaps to make the scheme more impactful.
The NSSF Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, made this known in an interview with the media in Lagos.
“There are three major challenges facing the NHIS, and this is affecting the effectiveness of its operations.
“The first gap we noticed is the issue of financing; financing for health is not enough.
“Government supports and provides the back end of financing health insurance but it is still not enough.
“We know that the fiscal space is not enough for every sector; so, the health sector is also suffering,” Chinye-Nwoko said.
She also said that Nigeria’s health expenditure was still about five per cent of the entire national budget.
“We should be getting up to 15 per cent or 20 per cent.
“This means that there is not enough money to fund health insurance,” the NSSF boss said.
The managing director also said that NHIS was being burdened by some people taking drugs from the scheme for their unqualified relatives.
She said that NHIS pooled funds were being over utilised by such people.
“What that means is that we have cases of people coming to take drugs that they don’t need.
“For example, I am not hypertensive but my mother or my father or one my relations is hypertensive; instead of registering that person so that both of us pay, I will rather take drugs from the NHIS on their behalf.
“By doing so, I am accessing care for someone, and it is not paid for. I collect drugs and give out.
“That way, we are giving out more than we are pooling in,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of embracing digital innovation to expand access to health insurance.
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While acknowledging ongoing efforts by the NHIS, she shared that digital solutions are currently being developed and will soon be rolled out.
These advancements aim to simplify the registration process, making it more accessible and convenient for all Nigerians
