By Iyemah David
The Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Mohammed Sambo, has said that Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Bill 2022, affords the country a revolutionary opportunity to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He said this at the Health Financing Policy Dialogue organised by PharmAccess Foundation in collaboration with the World Bank and the Nigeria Health Watch on Thursday in Abuja, with the theme: “New Health Financing Approaches in Nigeria: Implementation of SSB tax in Nigeria”.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed while presenting the breakdown of the 2022 budget, had announced an excise tax of N10 per litre on all non-alcoholic, carbonated and sweetened beverages.
The minister said the new tax was introduced to raise excise duties and revenues for health-related and other critical expenditures in line with the 2022 budget priorities.
It would be recall that as part of the country’s healthcare reforms, President Muhammadu Buhari, signs the new Health Insurance Bill Into Law, ending Old Scheme, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Buhari noted that the new health insurance law will repeal the NHIS, Act of 2004. The President Thursday signed the new National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022 into law.
Announcing this on his verified Twitter handle, Buhari said that the new law was part of his government’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage for Nigerians.
“As part of our healthcare reforms, I have signed into law the recently passed National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022, which repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme Act.
“We will ensure the full implementation of the new Act, to provide coverage for all Nigerians,” Buhari said.
The President noted that the new health insurance law will repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act of 2004.
The NHIS boss said that the revolutionary services would also reduce the suffering of Nigerians in accessing care.
He said that most countries that have successfully that have been able to attain UHC prioritised health while calling on the country to also prioritised health.
