Only 3 percent of Nigerians have healthcare coverage – NHIS

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have expressed sadness over its inability to have majority of Nigerians covered under its healthcare policy, eleven years after its inception. The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof Usman Yusuf  on Tuesday said with just only about 3 percent of Nigerians having access to healthcare coverage, there is  an urgent […]

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have expressed sadness over its inability to have majority of Nigerians covered under its healthcare policy, eleven years after its inception.

The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof Usman Yusuf  on Tuesday said with just only about 3 percent of Nigerians having access to healthcare coverage, there is  an urgent need for the scheme to reach out and extend coverage to more Nigerians especially in the grassroots.

Prof Yusuf was speaking during the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for directors of National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the NHIS with the theme: “Improving access to quality health care through expanded National Health Insurance coverage in Abuja.”

"Our aim is to provide universal healthcare coverage for all Nigerians, and we have not done as much as we should. That is why we are collaborating with NOA; they have offices all over the country while ours is all over the state. NOA is at the grassroots, people know and trust them" he said.

The NHIS boss further promised that the scheme under his leadership will be financially prudent by professionalizing all departments, with emphasis on the legal and procurement departments.

Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of NOA, Garba Abari said there is an urgent need to improve public knowledge of NHIS.

He said NOA will work closely with NHIS to offer assistance using national advocacy footprint and time-tested capacity for grassroots mobilization.