The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN)  and the Health Emergency Initiative (HEI) have inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the Medical Intervention Initiative for Healthcare Access (MIIHA) to support vulnerable Nigerians who struggle to afford timely medical care.

According to a statement dated September 2026, the initiative will bring together healthcare institutions and other partners to address financial and other barriers to treatment.

Oladele Akinyemi chairs the board, which has begun developing the strategic and technical framework for the initiative, known as MIIHA.

The Executive Director of the Health Emergency Initiative, Paschal Achunine, said the partnership would help coordinate efforts to reach people whose financial circumstances prevent them from receiving care.

“MIIHA is about building a practical and sustainable platform that can respond to the healthcare needs of vulnerable Nigerians while strengthening collaboration across the health sector. We believe that by bringing the right partners together, we can help close some of the gaps that prevent people from accessing timely care.”

Akinyemi said the board would provide leadership and oversight, adding that accountability would be central to its work.

“The success of MIIHA will depend on our ability to build a credible, accountable and sustainable institution. Our responsibility as a Board is to provide the leadership and oversight required to ensure that the initiative delivers meaningful value to the people it is established to serve.”

President of HFN, Njide Ndili, said the availability of health services alone would not guarantee access for people unable to reach or pay for them.

“Access to healthcare is not only about the availability of services; it is also about whether people can reach and afford the care they need when they need it. MIIHA provides an opportunity to strengthen collaboration and develop interventions that put people and their healthcare needs at the centre.”

The board includes Ndili, who also serves as Country Director of PharmAccess; Achunine; Vice Chairman of Noor Takaful Insurance Ltd, Aminu Tukur; and former Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye.

Other members are Managing Director of Cerba Lancet, Dr Olayemi Dawodu; retired Deputy Corps Marshal and former head of Operations at the Federal Road Safety Corps, Hyginus Omeje; and Provost of the College of Medicine, Maryam Abacha University, Kano, Professor Ryan Garba Muhammad.

Also on the board are a Canada-based emergency physician and associate professor, Dr Taofiq Segun Oyedokun, and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Builders International, Dr Mathias Yashim.

At its inaugural meeting, the board agreed to build partnerships and mobilise resources to support healthcare access, while complementing existing government and healthcare systems.

The statement said its implementation framework would focus on accountability, sustainability and measurable results.

The two organisations had previously announced a medical intervention trust fund to support emergency treatment.

HEI’s earlier interventions also included training road safety officials in emergency response and supporting hospital bills for vulnerable patients.