SFH signs MoU with NHIA to boost access to quality healthcare

The Society for Family Health (SFH) Nigeria, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to provide technical support and capacity building in areas of innovative financing, benefits package, strategic plan implementation and operationalization of guidelines among other mutual interest.

Speaking at the MOU signing yesterday in Abuja, Managing Director, SFH, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, observed that achieving health for all will require multi-sectoral collaborations from government, private and non-profit organizations.

He noted that SFH is prioritizing universal health coverage with a focus on primary healthcare and strategic purchasing in alignment with the SDG3 action plan.

Dr Omokhudu stated further that “the MOU is a critical step that would boost the robust partnership and strengthens their mandates for achieving Financial access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians.”

He said it was placed in the context of accelerating UHC in Nigeria with many challenges which have continued to pose a significant threat to public health, especially with high out-of-pocket spending and catastrophic expenditure on health.

He noted that SFH will continue to innovate and support the government of Nigeria and policy reforms by strengthening health systems, building a necessary strategic partnerships, unification of public and private health services and better use of resources to achieve UHC.

Idogho stated that “SFH is supporting and contributing to NHIA processes including review of benefit packages and integration of FP, HIV and TB services, development of the operational guidelines for the NHIA Act and designing new approaches and strategies to innovative/strategic financing towards making health insurance work for the people.

On his part, Director General, NHIA, Prof Umar S. Sambo, stated that the collaboration was entered into to deepen the penetration of health insurance in Nigeria adding that the partnership took into cognizance, many factors that would enhance health insurance in the country.

He said: “Going through the list of the areas, you will all agree that they are areas that are of paramount importance to the NHIA and they are areas that have a lot to do with deepening the penetration of the NHIA and its activities in Nigeria.

“We are talking about the issues that have to do with health insurance under one roof, which is the overarching coordination platform of the health insurance ecosystem in Nigeria.

“As an organization, we recognized the fact that the health insurance ecosystem was operating in silos and states are expected to develop their state health insurance agencies. Many of the states were not able to do that and there was no clearly defined mechanism of interface between the organization and the major stakeholders.”