- Nigeria Launches Programme To Expand Health Insurance Access
- Diaspora doctors support capacity building and medical outreach
- Stakeholders push wider enrolment to improve healthcare access
Key stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector have launched the Inclusive Health Insurance Enrolment Programme, IHIEP, in a renewed effort to expand access to affordable healthcare for vulnerable populations across selected states.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that
The initiative, led by the Global Health Charity and Training Foundation in partnership with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, is designed to enrol indigent Nigerians into state backed health insurance schemes while strengthening service delivery across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Executive Director and Board Member of GHCTF, Adebayo Akintobi, said the programme harnesses the expertise of Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora to improve local healthcare capacity.
“This initiative is put together by GHCTF in collaboration with PSHAN. Doctors in the diaspora are bringing their expertise back home to help build capacity among colleagues in secondary and teaching hospitals,” he said.
Akintobi disclosed that the foundation recently conducted a medical outreach at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, where 79 surgeries were successfully carried out. He added that about 50 gastro colonoscopies and endoscopies were also conducted to screen for colon cancer, alongside hands on training for local medical personnel.
Also speaking, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, said the programme would significantly improve healthcare access for underserved communities.
“Currently, less than five per cent of Nigerians are enrolled in health insurance. I encourage citizens to enrol through their nearest centres,” she said.
Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described the initiative as timely and essential.
“Access to quality healthcare should not be a privilege for a few but a fundamental right for all,” she said.
Stakeholders said the programme is expected to improve healthcare access, reduce out of pocket expenses and strengthen the overall health system.
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