Health authorities in Nigeria have announced significant progress in improving maternal healthcare, with 2,690 women receiving free fistula surgeries and more than 5,000 women accessing free emergency obstetric care between January and May 2025.
The update was given by Dr. Agi Amogor, Principal Officer at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), during a recent multi-stakeholder meeting in Calabar, Cross River State.
Speaking on the theme “Health Insurance in All Inclusivity”, Dr. Amogor highlighted the impact of the Fistula Free Programme (FFP), launched in June 2024 to address the estimated 4,000 new obstetric fistula cases recorded annually in Nigeria.
“By May 2025, 2,690 women had undergone free fistula repair surgeries, while 5,289 received emergency obstetric care nationwide,” Amogor stated. “In Cross River State alone, 247 women benefited from the programme, with services available at five hospitals including the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, Ikom.”
According to Amogor, these results were achieved through the NHIA–FFP and the Comprehensive Emergency Maternal Obstetric Care (CEMOC) programme, which has enrolled 33 of 49 identified vulnerable women in the state, and treated about 200 beneficiaries.
He noted that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), in collaboration with NHIA, has strengthened healthcare delivery in Cross River State, with 195 fully functional primary health centres and 10 secondary facilities serving as referral hubs.
Amogor also spoke on the NHIA–Roche Cancer Initiative, which aims to improve access to innovative cancer treatments while protecting patients from excessive medical costs. Over 200 patients nationwide, many diagnosed at an early stage, have received treatment under the scheme’s cost-sharing arrangement, where NHIA-Roche covers 50% of costs, NHIA 30%, and insured patients 20%. The programme has expanded from 7 to 18 accredited centres, with new diagnostic equipment installed at teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Ile-Ife.
At the event, themed “Charting a New Landscape in Health Insurance”, NHIA’s Cross River State Coordinator, Stanley Effah, urged residents to embrace social health insurance as the key to affordable, quality healthcare.
“Health insurance is not just for the wealthy,” Effah said. “Whether you work in the formal or informal sector, there are affordable plans to protect you from financial hardship. Many services, including caesarean sections and certain cancer treatments, are now free or heavily subsidised.”
Director General of the Cross River State Health Insurance Agency (CRSHIA), Sir Godwin Iyala, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to reducing out-of-pocket health spending and ensuring equitable access to care. He called for stronger public awareness campaigns, consistent release of the equity and consolidated revenue funds, greater collaboration with stakeholders, and full enrolment of informal sector workers.
