‎Health policy experts have called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare financing system, warning that the current structure is unsustainable and continues to deny millions of citizens access to quality care.
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The call was made at a webinar hosted by SYNLAB Nigeria, themed “Enabling Healthcare Financing for Complete Patient Care,” where stakeholders emphasised the need for urgent reforms to improve affordability, accessibility and preventive care.

‎Participants at the forum noted that Nigeria still relies heavily on out-of-pocket payments, which account for about 70 per cent of healthcare funding, while less than 10 per cent of the population is covered by health insurance. According to them, this imbalance discourages early medical intervention and exposes households to financial hardship when illness occurs.

‎A health financing expert and National Professional Officer at the World Health Organization Nigeria, Dr Adeniyi Adeniran, described the country’s healthcare financing model as weak across key areas, including revenue mobilisation, risk pooling and strategic purchasing.

‎He advocated the adoption of innovative financing approaches such as blended finance, outcome-based funding and digital health solutions to address existing gaps and improve system efficiency. Adeniran stressed that such models are critical for resource-constrained systems like Nigeria’s, rather than optional reforms.

‎Also speaking, Managing Partner at Insignia Health, Dr Olumuyiwa Olusanya, faulted the system’s strong emphasis on curative care at the expense of prevention. He warned that late presentation of illnesses often leads to higher treatment costs and poorer health outcomes.

‎Olusanya urged policymakers to prioritise preventive healthcare by integrating routine screenings and diagnostics into insurance packages. He also called on the National Health Insurance Authority to enforce mandatory health insurance coverage and ensure broader inclusion of preventive services in benefit plans.

‎In her contribution, founder of Clafiya, Jennie Nwaokoye, highlighted the growing role of digital platforms in expanding access to healthcare financing. She explained that Clafiya enables users to save incrementally for medical expenses while leveraging pooled demand to negotiate lower service costs.

‎According to her, the platform has helped reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses significantly, while also lowering employer healthcare costs. She added that Clafiya’s partnership with SYNLAB Nigeria allows users to access laboratory tests at discounted rates, demonstrating the potential of collaboration between diagnostics providers and fintech firms.

‎Speakers at the webinar unanimously agreed that Nigeria must move away from a fragmented, treatment-driven system to a more coordinated model that supports the entire continuum of care—from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up.
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They stressed that achieving meaningful reform would require stronger collaboration among government agencies, insurers, healthcare providers and private sector innovators.