In a significant move to widen healthcare access, President Bola Tinubu has issued a sweeping directive making health insurance compulsory for all government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
The order also ties the ability to secure government contracts and business licenses to compliance with the national health insurance scheme.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, confirmed the directive in a statement released on Wednesday.
The President instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to immediately issue a service wide circular to all MDAs, compelling them to enrol their employees in the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) plan.
The directive is aimed at fully implementing the National Health Insurance Act of 2022, which, three years after its enactment, has seen alarmingly low participation across the country.
The presidential directive covers five key areas. First, all federal MDAs must register their staff on the NHIA health insurance plan. They are permitted to take up additional private insurance coverage if they so wish.
Crucially, the order directly links health insurance compliance to economic activity. Henceforth, any company wishing to do business with the government must present a valid NHIA issued Health Insurance Certificate as part of its eligibility documents for public procurement.
This certificate confirming compliance is now a mandatory condition for any procurement-related engagement.
Furthermore, all MDAs are now compelled to require applicants to present the same valid certificate as a precondition for issuing or renewing any licences, permits, or other official approvals.
To ensure transparency and ease of verification, the NHIA has been tasked with establishing a digital platform for checking the authenticity of these Health Insurance Certificates. All government agencies must also work with the NHIA to develop internal procedures to verify the certificates and monitor for consistent compliance.
The presidency stated that the overarching goal of this directive is to “expand health coverage, safeguard workers, reduce out-of-pocket health expenditures and promote accountability in public and private sector engagements.”
While pushing for stringent enforcement within government and for its partners, President Tinubu also called for a different approach with the private sector. He urged “further, closer and constructive engagement with the Private Sector on the Act to ensure that businesses are not unduly constrained.” This suggests an awareness of the potential burden on companies and a desire for a collaborative rather than purely punitive approach.
The National Health Insurance Act of 2022 stipulates compulsory health insurance for all Nigerians and mandates the NHIA to ensure coverage for everyone in the country. This new directive from President Tinubu is the strongest effort yet to breathe life into the Act, using the government’s own vast workforce and its significant purchasing power to drive adoption and set a new standard for the nation.
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