By Muhammad Amaan
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has refunded over N14.2 million to enrollees and suspended nine healthcare facilities over complaints relating to service delivery.
Director-General of NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri who disclosed this, said the agency also issued 368 warning letters after resolving 3,878 complaints.
He made this known in Abuja during the inaugural Civil Society Organisation-led Mid-Year Review of Nigeria’s National Health Sector Reforms.
Dr Ohiri said the NHIA had deployed inspection teams to monitor compliance with the one-hour treatment authorisation policy and other standards aimed at protecting patients.
According to him, the enforcement measures followed efforts to strengthen accountability among healthcare providers and improve access to quality services.
The development comes as NHIA enrolment increased from about 16 million at the beginning of the current administration to more than 23 million.
Ohiri also said more than 2.7 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians had been enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
“We have moved from policy and legislation to measurable implementation. The next task is to move from coverage to reliable access, from reliable access to better health outcomes, and from insurance membership to genuine financial protection,” he said.
The NHIA said its reforms had resulted in a 93 per cent increase in capitation and a 378 per cent rise in fee-for-service reimbursements.
It added that more than 7,500 healthcare facilities had undergone digital assessment under the SafeCare quality framework.
The agency also said it had expanded support for cancer treatment through a cost-sharing arrangement with Roche.
Under the arrangement, Roche covers 50 per cent of the cost, NHIA contributes 30 per cent, while patients pay the remaining 20 per cent.
The NHIA said radiotherapy support had also been expanded from N400,000 to full coverage.
Other services covered under the reforms include mammography, CT and MRI scans, bone scans and diagnostic tests.
The agency further disclosed that more than 51,000 people had benefited from its HIV and tuberculosis programme in Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe and Kwara as of September 3, 2026.
It also said more than 93,000 women and newborns had benefited from its maternal health interventions.
According to the NHIA, case fatality at participating maternal health facilities declined by 22 per cent, from 1,042 in 2024 to 810 as of August 2026.
