The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has entered a strategic partnership with three healthcare facilities to expand access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care while reducing financial barriers for vulnerable Nigerian families.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on Friday with Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta, FMC Epe, and Outreach Signature Women and Children Centre during a ceremony at FMC Ebute Metta, Lagos.
The partnership, part of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, aims to catalyze access to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) and significantly reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure among low-income households.
NHIA Director-General and CEO, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, assured partner facilities of prompt settlement for validated claims, emphasizing the authority’s commitment to honouring financial obligations.
“We are insurance. We honour claims that are validated from inception. By entering this contractual agreement, we are assuring you: go ahead and treat these women and newborns, and the NHIA will honour its commitment,” Ohiri stated.
The initiative builds on NHIA’s earlier success with maternal health financing, which began as a pilot programme in four facilities for obstetric fistula treatment before expanding to 20 facilities nationwide, benefiting over 3,000 women.
Ohiri explained that the government has now directed the expansion to address obstetric complications, focusing on the top five leading causes of maternal death. “We started by probing the concept, testing it and now it is being scaled up across secondary facilities nationwide,” he said.
However, stakeholders have called for complementary investments in healthcare capacity building. MD/CEO of Outreach Signature Women and Children Hospital Lekki, Dr Efunbo Dosekun, welcomed the initiative but stressed the need for workforce development.
“Financing has not reached those who need it most: the poor, illiterate women facing cultural pressures. This MoU changes the picture. But we must also strengthen capacity and train more hands.
Otherwise, financing alone cannot guarantee quality,” Dosekun said.She warned of long-term consequences if adequate care is not provided, noting that failure to properly care for newborns could result in a generation of children with brain injuries and disabilities in 20-30 years.
Chief Medical Director of FMC Ebute Metta, Dr Saheed Ogunme, emphasized the need for sustainable healthcare financing models, drawing comparisons with international systems.
“Healthcare requires deliberate government intervention. Nigeria must decide how it wants to finance healthcare sustainably. NHIA’s intervention is commendable, but the broader financing model must be clarified,” Ogunme said.
The programme will be administered by Reliance HMO as the third-party administrator, with support from various NHIA departments and zone offices.
The initiative represents a significant step towards achieving universal health coverage with an equity focus, particularly targeting maternal and neonatal mortality reduction in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
