The Evolution of Health Insurance in Nigeria.

Securing your health through insurance is not just a prudent choice but also a crucial step towards ensuring long-term well-being and safety.

Sharing my latest findings on essential aspects of health care, a topic of utmost importance, is a task I deeply enjoy.

In this article, I will discuss how Health care insurance came into Nigeria, its progress, challenges and various strategies for future success.

Early Adoption in the 20th Century

Health insurance was nonexistent, as Nigerians relied on full/ partial payments and community-based payments. People didn’t see the need to care for future healthcare needs, as our culture and beliefs played a huge role in traditional healthcare. This is as far back as before Nigeria’s independence.

Then came several needs and the inability to cover present healthcare costs. It was then implemented that people pay to cover future healthcare needs, which is a typical day: healthcare insurance. This first movement happened in 1962 and was called the Government Health Insurance Scheme.

The Development

The implementation of the scheme marked a significant leap, paving the way for establishing the ‘National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS)’ in 1999. With its focus on quality healthcare and financial protection, this scheme instilled a sense of optimism for the future.

It also progressed in 2005 to focus on creating more schemes, such as the Voluntary Contributory Scheme, Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Program, and Community Based Health Insurance Program, that focused on different needs and created more awareness about health insurance.

The Creation of Healthcare Policies

For health insurance to work, the Nigerian government must implement specific rules and regulations to guide the healthcare insurance sector. The National Health Act of 2014 was created to work on healthcare financing and improving organisation and accountability. Later, in 2021, the NHIS was revised to become the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). The NHIA, with an additional focus on Policymaking and improved government efficiency, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of health insurance policies and ensuring their effectiveness.

Challenges Faced.

1. One of the significant challenges we faced was the limited access to the population: Due to the lack of technological advancements, reaching out to people to research and promote health insurance in Nigeria was akin to working in a relatively ‘stone age’ environment, where communication and information dissemination were significantly more challenging. The transition to modern healthcare was a significant task that needed to be accomplished.
2. Poor quality of care: The quality of care still needs to be reformed as it is today. Many education levels could have been improved to help the quality of care for Nigerians.
3. Financial constraints: Most individuals need more financial capacity to get into a health insurance scheme.
4. Non-actionable policies and regulations: No laws and regulations were passed initially but later adopted as growth set in.

Strategies for a futuristic success.

1. Improved quality healthcare system: As health education develops, healthcare workers are encouraged to provide better care and create a seamless healthcare delivery system. This also involves providing affordable premium packages for specific and general healthcare needs.
2. Using technology to innovate health care insurance: This will help make health care more accessible to clients, improve their anonymity as users, and build a better infrastructure for clients using health insurance.
3. Creating better policies that help streamline different regulations for health insurance schemes: Updating and passing favourable legislation and allowing health insurance schemes to become more transparent to clients builds trust and opens up the prospect of more clients.

In summary,

Nigeria’s healthcare insurance system holds immense promise for improvement. The potential for this transformation, both in the government and the private sector, is truly inspiring. With practical strategies and a concerted effort to address the challenges, these plans can be turned into actionable steps, leading to a significant enhancement of healthcare in Nigeria.

I hope this becomes Nigeria’s reality soon.

Till then, with all my starlight,

Esther Olowoloba