NHIS to Provide Health Insurance for over 30% of Nigerians by 2015

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) plans to provide health insurance cover for at least 30% of the country’s population by 2015. The newly appointed Executive Secretary of NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas (pictured) stated this at a forum recently in Abuja.

He added that the NHIS is working on the blueprint of a programme to extend effective, affordable and efficient healthcare to all primary school pupils across the country.

This, according to him, is informed by the urgent need to save the future of the country from the socio-economic consequences of the vulnerability of this sensitive section of the population.

“Primary school pupils constitute about 42 million of our population. It is common knowledge that sub-Saharan Africa in general and Nigeria in particular is in dire need of a robust healthcare delivery system.” he said.

Dr. Thomas also stated the NHIS will soon commence an aggressive sensitization process across the country, to create necessary awareness about the opportunities and benefits of health insurance, as it remains the most cost-effective way of funding qualitative healthcare in Nigeria.