By Zayamu Hassan
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed commitment to support the operationalization of the recently signed National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022.
The global health body made it position known when a delegation of WHO Mission for Health Financing to Nigeria visited the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, in Abuja.
The WHO Health Financing delegation was led by its Technical Officer, Fahdi Dkhimi and accompanied by officials of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Fahdi Dkhimi reiterated that the WHO was committed towards supporting the full implementation process of the NHIA.
The visit, according to the WHO official, was to fashion out possible ways to effectively operationalize the NHIA Act for the benefits of Nigerians.
Earlier, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehenire, commended the WHO team, saying, the gesture was a welcome development.
He revealed some of the constraints faced by the scheme to include infrastructural development, human resource and investment patterns.
“Most of the investments have gone to the very large visible hospitals which are not much utilized at the expense of small primary healthcare centres in the rural areas,” says Ehanire.
A statement by the Deputy Director (Media & Public Relations) of the Federal Ministry of Health, Ahmadu Chindaya, said the Minister further solicited for investment and higher level of care at the sub urban level in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In his remark, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Mahmuda Mamman, stated that the Act promulgated few years ago was recently signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Acts, according to him, provides for NHIA to implement schemes for relevant groups including Federal Civil Servant and establishes a vulnerable Group Fund, part of which can be invested by the NHIA.
