The Federal Government is stepping up efforts to assess the impact of its health financing interventions as high out-of-pocket spending continues to expose Nigerian households to significant medical costs.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, ahead of the inaugural Nigeria Health Financing Research & Learning Forum, which begins on Monday, 28 September.
The Authority said the government had released N235 billion through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund over the past three years, making it increasingly important to establish whether the investment was delivering measurable improvements in healthcare.
“The federal government has also released N235 billion through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in the past three years, increasing the importance of ensuring that growing health investments deliver measurable results,” the NHIA said.
The Authority said health insurance enrolment had also increased to more than 23 million people. However, it noted that many Nigerians continued to pay a substantial proportion of their healthcare costs directly.
“Health insurance enrolment has risen to over 23 million, but out-of-pocket expenditure is still quite high, leaving many families exposed to heavy medical bills,” it said.
Forum to examine use of health resources
The two-day forum will bring together policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals and health financing experts from Nigeria and other countries to examine how available resources can be used more efficiently to improve health outcomes.
The NHIA said the meeting formed part of wider Federal Government efforts to ensure that public spending on healthcare translates into better services, increased access to effective treatment and improved patient outcomes.
Participants are expected to consider how evidence can be used to determine which treatments and healthcare services should receive funding, how healthcare providers should be paid and where limited resources can have the greatest impact.
The forum is being held as the government implements broader health sector reforms coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate.
According to the statement, the reforms are aimed at expanding access to healthcare, strengthening financial protection, improving patient outcomes and securing better value from health investments.
The theme of the forum is “Evidence and Learning for Nigeria’s Health Financing Future: Building a Locally Led Research and Learning Ecosystem.”
It will also explore ways of translating research findings and health data into practical decisions on healthcare financing.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NHIA, Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, Nigeria Health Watch and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research are collaborating on the initiative.
NHIA highlights health technology assessment
The NHIA identified Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as an area where evidence is increasingly being used to inform healthcare financing decisions.
HTA assesses the benefits, costs and wider implications of medicines, treatments and other health interventions to determine whether they represent sufficient value for the resources required.
The Authority said it had conducted assessments covering kidney replacement therapy, colorectal cancer screening and treatment for advanced liver cancer.
The forum is expected to examine gaps in available evidence and explore ways to strengthen the connection between research, financing decisions and measurable improvements in patient care.
Experts to participate
Experts expected to participate include the NHIA Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kelechi Ohiri; Canada Research Chair in Health Economics at the University of Manitoba, Prof John Ataguba; Ghanaian health economist, Prof Justice Nonvignon; and Prof Chima Ariel Onoka of the University of Nigeria.
Others include Ethiopian health financing expert Dr Girmaye Dinsa; Dr Kheya Furtado of India’s Goa Institute of Management; Managing Principal of HSDF and health economist Dr Yewande Ogundeji; and the NHIA Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr Kurfi Abubakar Muhammad.
The NHIA said the forum would ultimately seek to strengthen evidence-based decision-making in health financing and help ensure that increased healthcare spending translates into improved service delivery and greater financial protection for Nigerians.
