The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced the expansion of its national health insurance scheme to include individuals living with HIV (PLHIV) and patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis (TB). Pilot programmes for this extended coverage are currently underway in four states.
This was revealed by Mrs. Aisha Abubakar Haruna, Acting Director of the NHIA’s Lagos Regional Office, who represented the Director General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) held in Lagos.
Dr. Ohiri disclosed that the NHIA now provides health insurance to over 20 million Nigerians, up from 16.8 million in 2023—bringing the Authority to 99 percent of the 2027 presidential target well ahead of schedule. He added that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) has also seen an uptick in enrolment, with an additional 800,000 beneficiaries added as of May 2025, raising the total to 2.6 million.
“As of June 2025, we reached the milestone of 20 million enrollees,” Ohiri stated. “This achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of state health insurance agencies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and the National Health Insurance Scheme.”
The Director General highlighted NHIA’s commitment to improving the quality of care and addressing systemic challenges such as drug shortages and delays in service delivery. He noted that a multi-project strategy has been deployed to tackle these issues and enhance patient experiences.
“In the past year, NHIA has revised tariff structures, streamlined accreditation processes, and instituted a one-hour limit on care authorizations,” Ohiri said. “We’ve also taken action to address issues such as medicine shortages, denial of service, delays in issuing authorization codes, and provider payment backlogs.”
He emphasized that NHIA’s ongoing reforms are strategically designed to not only expand access but also ensure that enrollees receive timely, high-quality care—ultimately strengthening the entire healthcare delivery system.
