Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022. The law is expected to cover about 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay health insurance premium
The government said that 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 authorities.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Friday, May 20, 2022, on his official Twitter account, where he stated that President Muhammadu Buhari just signed the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022.
Shehu stated that while signing the bill, the president announced that the authority would collaborate with the state government health insurance schemes to accredit primary and secondary health facilities and enrol Nigerians into the scheme in order to ensure the delivery of quality health services.
The act defines vulnerable people as Children under five, pregnant women, aged, physically and mentally challenged persons, and indigent people as may be defined from time to time.
What the presidential media aide is saying
Garba said, ‘’President Buhari said at the signing of the new law that a fund will be set up to ensure coverage of 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay premium as recommended by 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 authorities.’’
He also pointed out that the new act enables the authority and state governments to develop information management systems and digital records for better data collection, monitoring and quality assurance.
What you should know
- President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, May 19, 2022, signed into law the recently passed National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022, with the aim of expanding health insurance coverage for vulnerable citizens unable to afford the costs of health care in Africa’s most populous country.
- According to reports, about 8 out of 10 Nigerians do not have a health insurance cover, with the majority of them paying cash if they have to visit a health care facility when sick.
- The law also repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, Cap N42, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
commendable only if they reached to all the poor and vulnerable every where within the six geopolitical zone.