By John Ikani
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022.
The bill repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, Cap N42, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
A statement released by presidential aide Garba Shehu on Thursday, quoted the president as saying the new law makes provisions for the setup of a trust fund “to ensure the coverage of 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay premiums as recommended by the Lancet Nigeria Commission”.
“For the large number of vulnerable individuals who are not able to pay health insurance premiums, a Vulnerable Group Fund will be set up to include a component of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund due to the Authority, Health Insurance Levy, Special Intervention Fund, and any investment proceeds, donations and gifts to the Authority.”
The statement went on to note that the Authority would collaborate with the state government health insurance schemes to accredit primary and secondary health facilities and enroll Nigerians into the scheme to ensure the delivery of quality health care.
It added that “the new Act also enables the Authority and state governments to develop information management systems and digital records for better data collection, monitoring and quality assurance.”
Buhari tasked the Health Reform Committee to work with state governments, the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Authority to ensure the implementation of the articles in the new Act.
