The federal government says it has doubled the health insurance capitation fee for enrollees from N750 to N1,450 per person.
Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social
welfare, said the move is aimed at strengthening service quality and access to
affordable care.
In a statement on Saturday, Pate said the development aligns
with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda and Nigeria’s target of
achieving universal health coverage by 2030.
A capitation fee is the amount paid to a healthcare provider
for each patient enrolled in a plan over a specific period of time.
The minister said the fee-for-service rates have also been
raised by 380 percent to reflect current costs and enhance care standards.
“For years, the capitation stood at N750 per person. We have
doubled it to N1,450 to ensure providers are properly equipped to deliver
consistent, high-quality care,” he said.
“Fee-for-service rates have also been increased by 380%,
based on actuarial evidence aligning cost-reflective rates with quality
requirements.”
The minister said more than 2.4 million Nigerians were newly
enrolled in 2024, bringing total coverage to about 20 million people, with
plans to reach 44 million by 2030.
Pate said nearly 120,000 health workers have been trained
since 2023, while 2,500 doctors, nurses, midwives, and community health
extension workers have been recruited to boost frontline services.
He added that 4,000 health personnel have also joined
federal tertiary hospitals to fill workforce gaps.
“Out-of-pocket payments still account for about 70 percent of health spending. Expanding insurance coverage is the surest way to reduce this burden,” Pate said.
To improve efficiency, Pate said the federal government has
introduced a one-hour referral authorisation code to reduce delays in
transferring patients from primary to specialist care.
He also directed the National Health Insurance Authority
(NHIA) to begin covert “mystery shopping” to monitor healthcare providers and
ensure enrollees are not denied treatment.
Pate added that the ongoing reforms under the Basic Health
Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the NHIA are improving patient confidence and
driving wider adoption of health insurance.
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