The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called for the urgent reconstitution of the National Health Insurance Authority Board.

The Employers’ body expressed worry that weeks after the appointment of the Chairman of the Board, in the person of Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, by President and Bola Tinubu, the Board was yet to be reconstituted, thereby creating a disservice not only to the Scheme but also to the teeming Nigerians who are meant to benefit from it.

Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, pointed out that the Authority was meant to drive universal health coverage across the country, following the legislation on the initiative by the Federal Government.

Alleging that the Board’s statutory role was being compromised, he said governance issues should not be treated with kid gloves.

More worrisome, Oyerinde said was the violation of the NHIA Act that created the Board and allocated specific responsibilities to it.

The NECA boss, therefore, called on the Minister of Health to expeditiously reconstitute the Board for the sake of the health scheme’s long-term sustainability.